Prairie Event Center holds appreciation ball

An evening of appreciation and thank you was held April 14 for all guests who financially helped support Parkers Prairie’s Prairie Event Center building project or the building debt elimination campaign.

About 185 guests attended the event. Event center chair Gerry Freudenberg welcomed the crowd and thanked them all for their financial support.

He introduced the Event Center Committee members – Richard Bergquist, Doug Hoffman, Jay Ellsworth, Shorty Revering, Mark Birkholz, Jim Arvidson, Nick Olson, Butch Hoppe, Marvin Pooler, Curt Lind, Kirk Lee, Rick Gappa, Kim Schroeder, Don Zuehlke and Linda Nokes.

Freudenberg thanked the members for all their hard work in reaching the goal of $250,000.

In the building debt elimination campaign, which was matched by Lloyd Paulson to help eliminate the building debt, Shorty Revering and Lloyd Paulson qualified for naming rights to the Event Center building. Revering chose not to be recognized at this time.

The highlight of the evening, Freudenberg said, was recognizing Paulson for his outstanding financial support of the Prairie Event Center. He received a wall plaque in his honor and his late wife, Bev. The plaque will replace the Adley plaque and the room will now be known as the Paulson Room.

Paulson received a standing ovation and thanked the crowd.

Mayor Don Zuehlke presented Freudenberg with a wall plaque honoring him for his 13 years of volunteer work as chair of the Event Center Committee. His wall plaque will replace the Prairie West plaque and the room will be known as the Freudenberg Community Room.

Freudenberg thanked everyone who in any way supported the Prairie Event Center Project, such as the Parkers Prairie Lions Club, which donated every year since the building campaign began, bringing its total contribution to $66,515.

Another service organization, the Parkers Prairie Sportsmen’s Club donated $50,625 and also gave $500 toward the appreciation ball. The entire evening was paid by some committee members and other donations.

Other service clubs in the area that donated to the center included the Leaf Valley Toms, Leaf Valley Conservation Club, Prairie to Woods Whitetail, Urbank Lions and many other Lions clubs in the area, including the Parkers Prairie Pride of Lions.

Freudenberg thanks everyone who helped make the facility possible for the Parkers Prairie and surrounding area to use. “It is indeed a very fine facility,” he said.

Tags: business