La Grande Taproom Hosts Dinner to Benefit Union County Search and Rescue

Tap That Growlers, La Grande's restaurant and taproom on Adams Avenue, will host a fundraising dinner Friday, April 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. to benefit the Union County Search and Rescue Association, with a portion of all proceeds from the evening directed to the volunteer team.

The SAR Association is straightforward about where that money goes: "essential SAR functions," including fuel for response vehicles, specialized volunteer training, and equipment maintenance and acquisition. Those are not minor line items. Union County's geography puts SAR crews on long drives across remote terrain during missions, and fuel costs accumulate quickly. Training keeps volunteers ready to conduct technically demanding searches, and equipment upkeep determines what the team can actually deploy when the call comes in.

Loveland Safe Ride has volunteered to provide transportation home for attendees until 10 p.m. that night, and organizers have added a door prize drawing to the evening's program.

The fundraiser is timed deliberately. Spring and summer bring a surge in outdoor recreation across Union County's backcountry, and SAR call volume typically climbs with the season. Building the operating budget before that window opens gives the team more flexibility when missions stack up.

Union County SAR runs entirely on volunteers who absorb the demands of training and response alongside their regular lives. The organization depends on grants, donations, and community events like the April 10 dinner to bridge gaps that municipal budgets leave unfilled. The participation of Loveland Safe Ride alongside Tap That Growlers reflects how rural emergency services in the county are often sustained: through layered, informal partnerships between local businesses, nonprofits, and neighbors.

Residents who cannot attend Friday can follow the SAR Association's public pages for donation information and future events.