Roosters Boosters banquet draws biggest crowd ever

TORRINGTON – A little over an hour into the annual Goshen County Rooster Boosters fundraising banquet Saturday night, President Jasen Kaufman and other members were forced to hustle and add more tables and chairs to the Rendezvous Center at the Goshen County Fairgrounds – more people turned up than anticipated, and the event – which featured a catered dinner – was nearly at standing room-only status.
“It was definitely, by far, the biggest,” Kaufman said.
The fundraiser was geared toward providing the whole family with a fun evening. There were games, pizza and caricature artists for the kids and a cash bar, raffles and silent and live auctions for the adults. The building was close to capacity, Kaufman said, and he estimated around 600 people turned up for the event.
“It was the best one we’ve ever had,” he said. “The live auction was incredible. It keeps amazing me every year. We get more and more kids, and a lot of people donate stuff. It was a great banquet and you can’t ask for anything better. That was a great amount of people who want to support the Rooster Boosters, so it was a great deal.”

The live auction was highlighted by a framed Wyoming Cowboys jersey, signed by former UW and current Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, which went for $2,900, Kaufman said. A pair of Pelican coolers and several pieces of metal art were among the other big sellers.
The money raised from the event will go to support the Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s Access Yes program, the Downar Bird Farm and kids in the Goshen County Community.
“Basically, anything to do with little kids, all the way up to the high school level,” Kaufman said. “Last year, we gave the legion baseball team $1,000. You saw all the kids. That is what it’s about. I think it’s great because the parents can take the kids and they can both have a great time.”
Last year, the Rooster Boosters donated $1,500 to the Access Yes program, which opened 4,650 acres of private land for public use. Access Yes funds go directly to purchase easements from private landowners and provide hunting and fishing accessibility on otherwise posted land.   
Kaufman said Monday the club is still getting a final tally on how much was raised during the event, but said he expects the final take to be among the largest amounts the club has ever raised.
“It was a great year,” he said. “I thought the economy was down, but from that live auction, people must be doing all right. The only thing is that we’re going to have to set up for 50-75 more seats somehow. We don’t want to make anyone mad.”