Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

DAYTON–The Mule Mania Board of Directors and Committee has made the decision, due to the COVID shutdowns and limitations for public events, to dissolve the LLC and donate funds of $13,764.63, divided equally, to three local non-profit organizations and dissolve the Mule Mania LLC. The funds will help the following organizations, Community Food Bank of Dayton, The Club and Friends of the Fairgrounds, continue beneficial work within the local area.

The Mule Mania event began locally in 2011 and was held at the Columbia County Fairgrounds on the third weekend of July for several years, but due to the heat, was moved to Memorial Day weekend. Those who developed, organized and promoted the event here were Columbia Rural Electric Assistant CEO Les Teel, Coyote Mule Company in Idaho Bobbi Jo Chambers, and past Chamber Manager Lisa Ronnberg.

Their mission was to provide a safe, quality event for mule and donkey lovers that was educational, allowed people to exhibit the talents of their mules and donkeys, provided a venue for people to compete and bring a traditional animal experience to the youth and their families. It also attracted many vendors and Chuck Wagon contestants from different states, Mule and Donkey contestants from all over, and spectators who wanted to find out what it was all about.

The Mule Mania, LLC organization here wanted to extend its commitment to this community by donating $4,588.21 to each of these organizations: the Community Food Bank of Dayton, The Club and Friends of the Fairgrounds.

The Community Food Bank of Dayton has provided groceries and needed items to four to five times the number of households locally during the COVID–19 pandemic. They and the Blue Mountain Action Council have served these families through a drive-by system each Tuesday from 2-4 p.m.

Presently, the Community Food Bank has expanded into the old fire station next to City Hall and is remodeling the facility. Repairs and changes being made are the new roof to cover the new walk-in cooler and new walk-in freezer. They are also replacing the doors, purchasing more equipment and arranging shelves and tables for greater storage and accessibility. All of this was made possible due to the hard work of the Community Food Bank Board and the donations from our generous community. For the summer, the Food Bank partnered with the school to help fill the gaps for providing meal assistance to local children.

The Club, which is the venue for local youth program, opened in September of 2018, providing recreation, educational assistance and after-school programs for children. In addition to regular programs, The Club has also hosted several "Teen Nights," exclusively for high school students, that include activities like karaoke, group painting, and video game competitions. The Club's mission is to provide an opportunity for all young people to reach their full potential as responsible, caring, and productive citizens.

The Friends of the Fairgrounds has a three-fold mission: help the fairgrounds continue to be used for public purposes, assure that the fairgrounds remain rural and historical, and promote its economic viability.

–Submitted photo

Bev Rising, right, presents a donation of $4,558. 21 to Julia Mead for the Friends of the Fairgrounds to increase funding for the kitchen renovation in the Youth Building update project at the fairgrounds.

In the past three years, the 'Friends' have been instrumental in securing funding through community donations, service projects, memorial contributions and state grants for several upgrades to the fairgrounds property. These improvements include the professionally engineered footing in the indoor arena, painting of the rental horse stalls, insulation and electrical improvements, epoxy floor covering and renovations in the Youth Building. New restrooms are in the plans for the Pavilion this year.

As a non-profit entity with the Columbia County Community Network, Friends of the Fairgrounds works closely with the Fair Board, the Board of County Commissioners, and the County Engineer. They recently contributed to the purchase of scheduling software for the fairground's facilities and events.

The Friends of the Fairgrounds is currently seeking funding to replace the kitchen vent in the Youth Building and update the kitchen area for 4-H meal teams and other catered events in connection with the pavilion events and rental.

The Mule Mania Board and Committee appreciate all of their supporters, sponsors, and volunteers, as well as the opportunity to share a great event to the community.