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Paynesville volunteers, Lions present $14,004 to band boosters; parents debate prom venue
Summary
A Paynesville Lions representative presented $14,004.15 to the band booster club; at public comment a community member criticized holding prom offsite at Crooked Willow while post‑prom fundraising remains local, and post‑prom volunteers clarified donations will fund post‑prom only and will prioritize local purchases.
Doris Wetland, speaking for the Paynesville Lions, presented a check for $14,004.15 to the Paynesville band boosters at the school board meeting, thanking volunteers and listing sales and attendance figures from a recent fundraiser at Queen Bee's.
"We had an attendance that day, 297 people with selling of 314 packages," Wetland said, and she named several volunteers who helped run the event. Superintendent Carrie said the district will formally recognize the donation at the next board meeting.
During public comment, resident and business owner Rob Butch urged the board and prom organizers to keep prom and community events in town after saying the upcoming high‑school prom will be held at Crooked Willow in Osakis — a private venue he described as costing "between $6 and $7,000." Butch questioned whether moving the prom offsite while local businesses are solicited to support post‑prom rewards local commerce.
Connie Messer, a post‑prom volunteer, replied that the post‑prom party will be held in the high school and that donations solicited by the committee are earmarked for post‑prom only, not for the prom itself. Messer listed planned prizes and local vendors the committee expects to use and said the group will try to buy as much locally as possible.
"The donations that come to the post prom are going to be used for post prom only," Messer said. She added the committee plans to purchase items such as an e‑bike, paddle board and kayaks as prizes and will seek to source food and other supplies from community businesses.
Board members thanked the volunteers and noted the district will recognize the band‑booster donation at the next meeting.
