Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Members of the Routt County 4-H Scholarship Foundation hope a steak dinner, dance floor and live country rock music by Sundog on Friday night will draw a large and festive crowd to the Hayden Granary for a barn dance.

All of the proceeds from the dance, which also will feature an auction, will support scholarships for 4-H students who are in or about to enter college.

“This event will serve as our biggest fundraiser,” Scholarship Foundation board member Erika Murphy said. “We usually have more applicants than the number of scholarships we can give out. The more money we raise, the better we can serve our 4-H kids. It’s all for a good cause.”

Murphy said the 4-H fundraising group awards $15,000 to $20,000 in scholarships annually.

All community members are invited to attend the dance and auction in the historic building. Tickets are available at Yampa Valley Feeds in Hayden or the Routt County Extension Office in Steamboat Springs. They cost $25 for adults and $10 for youths ages 10 and younger.

Tammie Delaney, who owns Yampa Valley Feeds and the Hayden Granary with her husband, Patrick, said Wednesday that the historic building is a fitting place to host the dance and fundraiser.

“I love that we’re still getting together for community barn dances like this,” Delaney said, noting that the gatherings have been held in Hayden since the early 1900s. “You have everybody from 5-year-olds to 85-year-olds dancing. It’s a great way to get a community together.”

Delaney’s two children are 4-H members. She said the program has many benefits.

“I think 4-H helps raise kids that are prepared for anything,” she said. “These kids are problem solvers. They’re raising livestock. They’re innovative. To me, if you’re hiring someone, 4-H kids are who you want.”

Bull Sale is Saturday

Marsha Daughenbaugh said the 10th annual North Western Colorado Bull Sale on Saturday in Hayden will be much more than an auction. It will be a prime networking opportunity.

“I really like to see our ranchers meeting with each other as they look to buy and sell these animals,” the executive director of the Community Agriculture Alliance said. “It’s kind of a return to the old values where they just get to visit with each other and talk about the work they do.”

In addition to socializing, local cattle producers will have a chance to buy and sell 44 top-quality bulls at the Routt County Fairgrounds in Hayden. Daughenbaugh said the bulls will come from seven Western Slope counties. A lunch prepared by the Routt County CattleWomen will be served at 11 a.m., and the auction starts at 1 p.m.

Last year, 35 bulls were sold for a total of $94,000. Each bull sold for an average of $2,686, the highest average in the auction’s history.

Saturday’s auction is being coordinated by the Agriculture Alliance, the CSU Routt County Extension and the CattleWomen.

To reach Scott Franz, call 970-871-4210 or email scottfranz@SteamboatToday.com