CVOA Rocks Stratton!
By Peter Weston
Saturday night approximately 120 members of the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association attended the annual Winter Social held this year at the Stratton Community Center. The group included several new members attending their first CVOA event, and many of the original crew who started the organization 10 years ago. The Social started off with a happy hour and silent auction, followed by a potluck dinner and dancing to the band, Delta Knights.
The silent auction was held to raise money for expenses at the shooting range. Members and others donated items for the auction, including a beautiful custom made fly rod from Claude Pepin, Ski passes from Sugarloaf and Saddleback, and an overnight ski package from Sunday River.
The most fought over prize was a Stetson cowboy hat, with Dave 'Tex' Emery getting the winning bid. Sherie Packard put together the silent auction, which raised over $1,000 for the range.
After some very tasty appetizers, the group got busy and attacked a huge buffet of potluck entrees, side dishes, salads and breads as only CVOA members can put together. And they did chow down! There was hardly a scrap left once the last fork was put down. But, they weren't done yet, as there was another whole table of deserts with brownies, pies, cookies, and other assorted sweets.
No time to savor the deserts though, as it was time to dance. The Delta Knights started off with some nice easy listening rhythm and blues while the kitchen crew cleared the food away and the dining tables were moved back to make room for dancing. Once everyone was ready, they kicked it in gear with some good old time rock and roll, including songs from Roy Orbison, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Dion, Wilson Pickett, Louie Armstrong and a bunch of other classics. The four-member band showed off their musical talents on every song. The crowd really enjoyed the sax player who really rocked it out on several tunes.
The dance floor was a rocking place, and it was a toss up as to who was having more fun: Bill Haefele or Dave Emery. The bottom line; everyone had a great time. It was like being at a huge wedding reception, but without the family!
Jan and Vince Kremin arranged for a large bus to transport people from the Valley and back, so people didn't have to drive after partaking in adult beverages. This worked great for the 21 people who took advantage of the service, until the bus broke down on the way back to the Valley! Soon another bus was found and the tired crowd made it home safely.
Cynthia Pernice organized the Winter Social and based on the comments the next day in the lift lines, she did a great job. Thanks Cynthia for doing such a great job, and thanks to the Town of Stratton for letting us rent their beautiful community center.
For more information on CVOA and to download a membership application, visit their website at CVoutdoors.com. Membership per year is $10 for an individual, $15 for a family. Range use is an additional $15 per person per year.
