Clearmont Community Center and Library Auction

On Sunday, September 27, the Clearmont Community Center and Library held their Annual Fundraising Dinner and Auction.

Amy Rowe, Clearmont Community Center board member, commented on this year’s event, and the donations that they received from area residents and businesses in the Sheridan, Clearmont and Buffalo area.

There were nearly 100 donations, and to expedite the auction, the auctioneers Dan Gay and Dave Cates, of Brannian Auctions, LLC, grouped several of the items together to sell them. One could bid for a bottle of wine and a homemade pie to go along with a gift certificate for an oil change for example.

After the event, Rowe thanked all those who came and made the auction a success, and all those who donated. She said they raised around $10,000, which is more than they have raised for several years. She added that the high sellers each year were the gift certificates for ranch services, such as equipment rentals. The homemade baked goods also sold well, with some homemade pies going from $70-$100 dollars.

Some of the ranch cooks got rather creative with their desserts, such as labeling one pan of brownies ‘steer’ brownies, which had no nuts.

A large crowd attended the event, and the gym was much larger than the basement of the community center, so it was easier for the auctioneer’s helpers to move around and take the items to the winning bidders.

The Clearmont Community Library Foundation started in the early 70s, when a group of Clearmont residents purchased the old Garretson Store Building on Front Street for $1. The old building, built in 1904, had been general store for many years, but by 1972, it had been neglected for many years.

The group, with the help of high school shop class, cleaned up the building, replaced the roof, put down new flooring, added bathrooms and kitchens. The building now houses the Clearmont Library, a branch of the Sheridan County Library system, as well as providing meeting and activity spaces for the community.

Money raised helps to maintain the center building and continue to make it available for community use, free of charge.