Casper Stampede

By Cowboy State Daily

A unique fundraiser by a Casper-based horse riding group this weekend will see a filly put up for raffle and people get a shot at $1,000 just for dancing.

The Casper Stampede’s second annual Country Fling on Saturday will also feature a 4-hour concert by celebrated Wyoming band Sean Curtis and the Divide and both live and silent auctions.

The event, held at “The Hangar” near Casper, is designed to raise money for both the Wyoming 4-H and for 4-H clubs at the county level, said event spokeswoman Paula Thoroughman.

“We just want to encourage the younger crowd to get involved with horses,” she said.

Last year’s Country Fling raised $4,600 for the state 4-H organization and for the 4-H in Natrona County and the Stampede hopes to double that number this year, said Thoroughman, who is also a board member for the group.

One of the high points of the evening will be the raffle of Remi, a filly born in May of 2017. Only 100 tickets will be available at a cost of $50 each.

“We’ll make sure that the winners are vetted, that she has a proper facility to go to,” Thoroughman said.

The raffle for the $1,000 sponsored by Crushco of Casper, will be awarded in a unique way. During the concert, every time someone dances through the end of a song, they will receive a raffle ticket. The winning ticket for the $1,000 prize will be drawn at the end of the evening.

“We had close to 100 people (last year), but people were kind of shy,” Thoroughman said. “We decided we needed something to get people up there and having fun.”

Tickets for the event cost $65 each and include a barbecue dinner and the concert. Tickets are available from the Stampede’s website (CasperStampede.org) and at Service First Insurance, Moss Saddles, Boot and Tack, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Uncorked, all in Casper.

The doors for the evening will open at 5 p.m., dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7 p.m.