Sandhillers celebrate beef at the NCSA Winter Ball
Sandhillers gather for Winter Ball
MULLEN - The 165plus cattlemen and women who gathered at the Hooker County Community Center on the Hooker County Fairgrounds to welcome 2020 in had much better weather than the previous two years. For the first one in 2018, the temperature and wind chill were at negative 30; last year it was negative 20. This year the weather was a “balmy” 30 degrees above.
The Winter Ball on New Year’s Eve for the Nebraska Cattlemen Sandhills Affiliate (NCSA) is the chief fundraiser for the group throughout the year.
“This event helps us cover not only this night, but our January business meeting, complete with free meal to members; a golf outing and summer meeting in June at the Dismal River Club, a fall ranch tour, hamburgers to blood donors at area blood drives, plus give three $1000 scholarships to students,” explained John Kraye, Mullen, current NCSA president
Other board members include past president Frank Utter and Eric Schipporeit, Brewster; Troy Saner, Adam Zutavern, Dunning; Dan Wacher, Stefani Niesen, Purdum; and Miles Mundorf, Mullen. Schipporeit, Zutavern, and Wacher were not in attendance.
The New Year’s Eve Winter’s Ball includes a silent and live auction, a tantalizing prime rib meal with all the trimmings provided by Gregg and Dawn Mallory of the Chuckwagon N Jug of Mullen. They also provide the refreshments at the cash bar. Helping the caterers are FFA students from the three schools in the NCSA region which are Mullen, Thedford and Sandhills at Dunning.
The NCSA could not begin to do what they do without the great support they receive from sponsors who they want to recognize: Western
Nebraska Bank, Harsh Mercantile, Daniels Manufacturing, Dismal River Golf Club, A L Silencer Chutes, Sand Hills Golf Club, First State Bank, Mullen, Kraye Angus, Broken Bow Animal Hospital, Stockmen Vet Clinic, Hoffman Ranch, V-Bar Trailer Sales, Bassett Livestock, AL Ranch Co., GenEx/Miles Livestock, Bruning State Bank, Geo-Rite, Sandhills Equipment, Sandhill Oil, Minert-Simonsen Angus, West Plains Bank, Merck, Farm Credit Services of Broken Bow and North Platte, Burwell Livestock, Ag Land ATV, Berry Creek Gun Shop, Hometown Lumber, Wenquist, Larry Coleman, DVM, Farmers/Ranchers, Ward Vet Services and Pit Stall. The sponsors are approached only one time per year.
The scholarships given are awarded to two high school seniors in the NCSA region, and one college student.
After the meal and the auction, the James Lee Band, whose roots are in central Nebraska, heralded the New Year in with live music.