Creston Auction: Annual event raising money for new fire hall

| April 2, 2019 2:00 AM

The 53rd Annual Creston Auction & Country Fair plus Auto, Marine, RV & Equipment Sale will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7 in Creston, 12 miles east of Kalispell on Montana 35.

Friday, April 5, is Consignment Day and the only day consigned or donated items will be accepted. Items can be consigned, meaning a large portion of the sale price goes back to the seller, or donated, meaning all proceeds go to Creston Fire. Items will be accepted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the sale grounds. On Saturday, grounds open at 7 a.m. and the general merchandise auction kicks off at 9 a.m., following the opening ceremonies. Bid tickets for Saturday cost $5 and go on sale at 7 a.m.

Attendees can also purchase locally made art and handcrafts, rummage sale items and homemade baked goods.

The vehicle and equipment sale begins at 11 a.m. Sunday. The day’s $10 bid tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. There is no entrance fee and no buyer’s premium. Bid ticket charges go entirely toward paying for 24-hour security for the weekend. Bid tickets will also be available for purchase on Friday, April 5.

The fire department’s 30 volunteers rely heavily on this benefit to support them in responding to more than 250 calls each year. Calls have been steadily increasing, and Creston Fire has outgrown its 1960-era fire hall on Montana 35. The building barely houses modern fire apparatus, weekly training sessions for the volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and the department’s fundraising efforts. Land for a new station along the highway has been purchased, but Creston Fire is just starting to raise money for the construction of Station 251.

All money raised for Creston Fire at this year’s Creston Auction will go into the fund for that project.

For more information, call 406-250-7396, visit the website at crestonfire.org or find Creston Auction on Facebook.

The Creston Auction & Country Fair is sponsored by the Creston Fire Fighter’s Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.