Milton Fire Department brings back cocktail fundraiser

By Mark Reynolds
Posted 6/7/22

After a two year hiatus, the Milton Fire Department’s Cocktail fundraiser returned to Buttermilk Falls last Sunday evening. This year the proceeds raised will go to the Sarah Hull Hallock …

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Milton Fire Department brings back cocktail fundraiser

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After a two year hiatus, the Milton Fire Department’s Cocktail fundraiser returned to Buttermilk Falls last Sunday evening. This year the proceeds raised will go to the Sarah Hull Hallock Library in Milton.

Tim Lawton said the cocktail party, “Is one of the premier events. Everybody shows up and everybody supports it. I don’t know the fire department needs all of this support, but it’s really nice to see the community come together. Regardless of political party, orientation or whatever your bent is in life, this is a party that everybody comes to.”

Assistant Chief Gael Appler Jr said this year is the 15th annual cocktail party. He said they give money to a variety of community organizations such as the Hamlet of Milton Association.

Appler believes the beautiful weather brought people out to the event.

“Usually there is some chance of a storm, but today there is no chance of anything,” he said.

Appler thanked Robert Pollock, owner of Buttermilk Falls, for the use of his property.

“He lets us use the property for free and his golf carts to shuttle people and without him I don’t think we could have an event like this; it would be hard to match this venue,” Appler said.

Appler said members of the department handled all of the needed tasks of preparing and serving the food and he thanked the Ladies Auxiliary for collecting the silent auction items that people bid on.

Chief Todd Werba said people have been waiting in anticipation for this event to return.

“We’re seeing it across the board, new stuff at the high school, baseball and softball games, everybody is coming back out,” he said. “All the money raised is set aside and it goes back out to the community.”

Chip Kent said they have done this event so many times that it comes together organically.

Everyone has their own thing that they do and it sort of naturally happens; a lot of people put time in going around getting auction items and donations. “The local businesses are so generous and as far as food, Hazel Rose Bakery and Kirky’s Deli have been great and Event’s Unlimited gave us a great deal on the tent.”

Kent gave special thanks to Ed and Janine Bozydaj who did much of the organizing and Stephen and Madalyn Kneeter who oversaw the food preparation in the kitchen.

Ed Bozydaj said they only got tickets out for the event about five weeks ago, but “we have great support from all of the community and they came out in droves and opened up their wallets and helped us out for the causes we support.”

Robert Kirk, of Kirky’s Deli who donated pork bellies, BBQ sauce and mashed potatoes, said, “This is a great event and it looks like good turnout. It’s good to see everybody not in a hustle-bustle work mode.”

The Joe Carozza trio provided standard jazz tunes with a leaning toward the 1940s and 1950s repertoire. Joe performed on drums, the bassist was Jim Curtain and Peter Tomlinson on piano.

“I live just down the road and its a beautiful event and with perfect weather tonight,” Joe said. “It’s good to see everybody back in action after two or three years.”

Chip Kent handled auctioning off four items. A brass bed frame went to Kathy McClure for $100; a black walnut coffee table, made by Carmen and Nancy Vasile, was taken home by Dave Zambito for $300; a second coffee table crafted by Gael Appler went for $325 to Katie Amadeo and the evening’s piece de resistance, a canvas photograph of the Milton Landing by Jerry Wein, was won by Manny Cauchi for his bid of $725.