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Steamboat Springs — The Steamboat Springs Rotary Club will host its inaugural Community Barbecue and Barn Dance on Saturday, raising funds for Poogie's Place in what the organization hopes will become its annual signature event.

The idea to begin hosting an event such as Saturday's sprang from the Steamboat Springs Rotary Club's most recent strategic plan, in which members indicated a desire to host an "all-community event" that would be fun for attendees and raise money for a good cause, President Mike Forney said.

Tickets cost $35 for singles and $75 for families up to five people and are available at Central Park Liquor and All That Jazz. Admission includes a barbecue dinner from Big Air Catering, live music, dancing and family activities.

For the event's first year, Poogie's Place was chosen as the beneficiary, event committee chairwoman Linda Palmer said.

Named for the late local philanthropist Poogie Dawes, Poogie's Place will offer youth bereavement services at the Rollingstone Respite House campus, Palmer said. The facility will offer physical activities, recreational, group and art therapy for children of all ages who have been touched by death or other crises, Palmer said.

"We wanted a benefit that would be felt deeply by the community," Palmer said.

Prize packages valued between $1,500 and $4,000 will be raffled off during the event, including a fly-fishing package and a horse, Palmer said. Raffle tickets cost $25 for three or $100 for 15.

Rotary hopes to make the Community Barbecue and Barn Dance a regular function, benefiting a timely local cause each year.

"What we hope it to be is a signature event - something we do every year," Forney said.

The organization also is trying to make it a family event, complete with children's activities including pony rides and lasso lessons, Palmer said.

- To reach Melinda Dudley, call 871-4203

or e-mail mdudley@steamboatpilot.com