Southern Inyo Fire House Fling takes place this weekend

The seventh annual Firefighters Bazaar Fundraiser takes place at the Tecopa Hot Springs Resort this Saturday, Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.

The event is put on by the Southern Inyo Fire Protection District (SIFPD). It will be a full day of fun, food and entertainment. Attendees can participate in several raffles, a live auction and a silent auction.

The day begins at 10 a.m. with a flea market and craft booths.

The silent auction bidding opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m. Some of the prizes include a Wurlitzer classic Spinet piano, a room for one night and ghost tour at the Amargosa Opera House, a Tecopa Hot Springs Resort package for a room and a soak. Also included are Black Canyon raft tours on the Colorado River and Flight Linez Bootleg Canyon zip-line rides over Boulder City. Another prize is Las Vegas Show Tickets to Human Nature, Divas, Australian Bee Gees, Night School 4 Girls, or Thunder From Down Under. Grand Canyon bus tours and an air compressor are included as well as many more items.

After the silent auction there will be a live auction for a gourmet organic artisan cake by Claudia Andracik.

Live entertainment will continue throughout the day with local bands including Pahrump’s Griffith Hill and the valley’s Desert Primrose’s instrumental band.

The Inyo County Public Library will have a booth serving cake and holding a used book sale.

Several raffles will be held during the day. Robin Flinchum, Chair for SIFPD said, “We have tons of prizes to give away in our raffles and silent auction. We are so grateful to the businesses and individual donors, from California and Nevada, for their generous.donations.”

Raffle items include many of the same items for the silent auction. In addition, there will be a China Ranch Date Farm gift certificate, Mountain Falls golf rounds for two and many more too numerous to mention.

A luncheon will be offered of barbecue chicken and sides or have a gourmet meal at Pastel’s Bistro.

The evening entertainment will be fire dancing by Pyro Sagas. Flinchum said, “This is not to be missed. Fire dancing is mesmerizing. It keeps you wondering, how they do that?” After the performance there will be more live music and dancing with Pablo Tecopa and the Dusty Butter Band.

The SIFPD is a small volunteer fire and emergency medical response agency. It’s based in Tecopa, Calif. It serves a large area including Death Valley Junction, Shoshone and Charleston View.

It is funded by a local tax initiative that currently has no cost of living adjustment. In recent years, land transfers have diminished revenues while expenses continue to rise. It receives no county, state or federal funds except in the form of occasional grants. Flinchum commented, “Bridging the gap between income and expenses is an ongoing challenge.”

Last year this fundraiser raised over $6,000 which went to meet a matching funds grant from the California Department of Forestry for badly needed wildland firefighting gear and equipment. That gear came in very handy during the recent fire in Shoshone. The crew teamed with Pahrump Valley, Nye County, BLM and Death Valley National park crews to combat the wildfire.

Accommodations are available at Tecopa Hot Springs Resort, (760)852-4020; Cynthia’s Unique Desert Lodging, (760) 852-4580; Delights Hot Springs Resort, (760) 852-4343.

Camping and RVs, Tecopa Palms, (760) 852-4347; Tecopa Hot Springs Campground, (760) 852-4377.

Contact Creag Rowland by emailing creag.pvtimes@gmail.com.