Wauconda Rotary Sponsoring Barn Dance

Dust off that cowboy hat and bring your partner to the Wauconda Barn Dance and Pig Roast on Saturday, May 18. 

The fundraising event will feature a pig roast dinner with all the fixings, an old-fashioned barn dance with music by The White Saddle Band, live auction, silent auction and raffle.  Proceeds will benefit two Wauconda Rotary efforts: the James Radtke Family Scholarships and the Rotary International “End Polio Now” campaign. 

“We see this as a unique and entertaining way to raise money for our favorite causes,” said Bill Hogan, president of the organization, which has served the Wauconda community for the past 23 years. “Our intention is for this to become an annual event,” he added.

The pig roast kicks off at 6 p.m., and the band will play from 7 to 11 p.m.  Dinner includes a full meal and soft drinks. Throughout the evening, dance instructors will give lessons for all barn dance amateurs. Dinner/dance tickets are $40 per person. A cash bar will be available. 

The White Saddle Band has been entertaining folks in the Midwest for the past three decades at festivals, concerts, clubs, private parties and even as the opening act for such stars as Charlie Daniels, John Barry, Juice Newton, Patty Loveless and Alabama, to name a few.

The James Radtke Family Scholarships are named for Jim Radtke, a former member of the Wauconda Rotary, who initiated and administered the program for more than 10 years.   Two $1,000 scholarships are awarded annually to Wauconda High School students who complete an application highlighting not only academic performance, but also their involvement in community service.   One scholarship is awarded to a student pursuing a bachelor degree and one to a student pursuing vocational or technical training. 

Those attending are asked to bring their spare change to place in the Rotary’s “pennies for polio” collection, (all coins are accepted, not just pennies!). This money will be used for the Wauconda Rotary annual pledge to the Rotary International effort to eradicate polio worldwide. 

The Barn Dance is the Wauconda Rotary’s 23^rd annual fundraiser.  Over the years the club has raised more than $300,000, of which more than 90 percent has been given back to the community.

The pig roast and barn dance will take place at Partners for Progress, 23525 W. Milton Road in Wauconda.  Call 847/526-9066 for more information or to purchase tickets.  Or, visit the Rotary’s website: www.waucondarotary.com.

Hogan noted that the host for the dance, Partners for Progress (www.partnersforprogressnfp.org), is a therapeutic riding center providing horse-based therapy using clinical interventions; it benefits individuals with physical, mental and emotional challenges.  “We are grateful to this non-profit organization for allowing us the use of their barn,” Hogan said.