Lone Pine school Blue and Gold Fundraiser
Participants raise $21,000 to benefit Agriculture Mechanics students and the High School Farm.
Last Friday night at the Lone Pine Film Museum, the Future Farmers of America (FFA) held their annual Blue and Gold Fundraiser. Well over 150 supporters attended with a few traveling from as far away as San Diego to show their support. Over forty individuals and businesses donated silent auction items.
Almost $21,000 dollars was raised and the funds will be used to install and build a shop facility for the Agriculture Mechanics students along with housing the equipment used at the farm facility at the Lone Pine School Farm.
Lone Pine student Aubrey Hart with mom. Photo courtesy: James.
Hands-down the most popular program at Lone Pine Union High School, the FFA and its associated classes, in agriculture mechanics and construction, has almost the entire student body involved. A large part of that popularity has to do with the instructors. Brenda Lacey oversees the FFA program while Chuck Carson and Joel Whitney teach mechanics and construction.
Kelsey Francone is one of those who traveled from San Diego to attend the FFA raiser. A former FFA member at the Lone Pine High School, she says, “I benefited greatly from this program in so many ways throughout high school and college. I loved working with the animals and I learned a lot about the business of ranching and farming. And it is a business, one that feeds this country and much of the rest of the world.”
As the school year works its way to a close and the Junior Livestock Show is just around the corner on July 7-10 with the Junior Livestock Auction on July 11th, the FFA students are getting their project animals prepared for auction. The animals include turkeys, beef cattle, sheep and hogs.
Meanwhile the Ag Mechanics students are busy forming up concrete pads for the new sheep tack and feed barn and wash racks for the sheep member projects. They are also putting the final touches on the 5 acre pasture project and will be seeding and irrigating the fields once water is available April 1.
FFA Members are also gearing up for the San Joaquin Regional Speaking Contest in Tulare later this month, and the Fresno FFA State Convention in April, where 27 members of the chapter will be participating and competing with over 5,000 FFA members from across the State.
There is far more to the FFA than most people realize. Every year at the Blue and Gold FFA Fundraiser, the community shows tremendous support for this program in Inyo County with a large turnout and generous donations provided by local businesses and individuals.
