Cake Walk draws crowd to Virginia City Fire Department benefit
Annual fundraiser offers something for everyone
VIRGINIA CITY—Most of Virginia City turned out for the local volunteer fire department’s annual cake walk fundraiser on Saturday, April 6, as well as residents from around Madison County.
Guests joined in a variety of fun activities to benefit a good cause—the cake walk is one of the year’s largest fundraisers for the volunteer department, which has struggled in recent years to attract enough volunteers to protect the local community. And Virginia City is not alone. Rural communities around Montana are having trouble maintaining a sufficient force to ensure they remain safe in case of emergencies such as fires or car wrecks.
But on Saturday night, those uncertain feelings gave way to an evening of music, dancing, laughter and lots and lots of cake. With over two dozen homemade delicacies up for grabs and cupcakes for the event’s young attendees, there was something for everyone to enjoy.
Some of the most ambitious confections of the evening were auctioned off, including a bright yellow sheet cake commemorating the opening of the new Virginia City gas station, a candy-covered tribute to the fire department and even a fondant-draped embodiment of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation report, sure to be tastier than the real thing.
Close to 200 people attended the fundraiser at the Virginia City Elks Lodge. Between the cake auction, admission donations and raffle purchases, the event raised nearly $5,300 to benefit the fire department. But the fundraising didn’t stop there; Montana Heritage Commission matched every dollar raised, resulting in well over $10,000.
That money will go directly to the fire department, to be used for everything from staff trainings to equipment updating and repairs. While there may be uncertainty surrounding the number of local volunteers, the generosity of the community ensured that support for the volunteers who keep Virginia City safe would not be waning anytime soon.