OKTOBERFEST Kicks off Phase III Fundraising
By Jo Moore
The second annual OKTOBERFEST benefitting CMPL’s foundation fundraising efforts will be Saturday, September 29 at the High Country Inn. This fundraiser is the official kick-off of the campaign to pay for Phase III of the expansion project for Orofino’s Clearwater Memorial Public Library. Phase II fundraising was brought to an exciting finish with the $50,000 donation from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation which was recently received, as well as a healthy surplus from Phase I construction, due to savings from contributed labor and supplies.The amount accrued for Phase II amounts to over $210,000. Now the focus will be to collect enough funds for Phase III to begin as soon as the current stage of construction can be accomplished. The second phase for the expansion includes the plumbing and electrical work and interior insulation and walls of the new building, as well as preparation of the adjacent parking lot, which was cleared with the demolition of an older house purchased by the CMPL Board of Trustees.
OKTOBERFEST will be an all-day celebration, with three separate seatings for a full German dinner, served at 12 noon, 3 pm, and at 6 pm. Each dinner will be accompanied by entertainment and a separate auction, with some exciting items being offered for each seating. Tickets are $35 each, and assigned to a particular seating time when purchased. A biergarten, serving authentic German beer and wines, will be manned by volunteer foundation members. Guests are invited to bring their own beer stein if they have one, and a small prize will be offered for the most appealing one. Guess are free to dress in German or Alpine attire, or just casual. Entertainment directed by Margaret Whitten will be ongoing during dinner as well as a singalong to add to guests’ enjoyment of the afternoon.
All proceeds from the OKTOBERFEST will help begin the fundraising for the third phase of construction of the expansion, which will include a remodel of the administration area, addition of a larger children’s section and a new staff break room area, The projected goal for Phase III is $182,000. We invite all our supporters to purchase dinner tickets and/or help in other ways to keep our fundraising ongoing. We appreciate everyone’s help in the community to make this renovated and expanded library a “state of the art” institution for all our citizens to enjoy for years to come!