Hog Roast and Live Auction Benefit Planned at Mitchek Event Center

Residents gathered at the Mitchek Event Center at the Logan County Fairgrounds in Sterling for an annual fundraiser that combined a community meal with a live auction to support local hospice services. The event, listed on local calendars under names ranging from Hometown "Fryin’ & Buyin'" to the Annual Hospice of the Plains Hog Roast and Live Auction, brought volunteers, desserts and auctioneers together in a familiar tradition of local giving.

Organizers served dinner from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., with the live auction beginning at 6:00 p.m., according to event listings. Tickets had been priced at $12 in advance and $15 at the door; purchasers were directed to call 970-526-7901 or stop by 302 N. Ninth Avenue in Sterling for in-person sales. Promotional material on the Logan County Chamber events page described the night as a "live auction with great food and fun!" and noted that "we have Hospice volunteers that bring many kinds of desserts." Chamber copy also announced that "the auctioneers are roaring to go!!"

The benefit underlined the community role hospices play in rural counties, where local fundraising and volunteer effort often supplement formal funding streams. Hospice programs provide symptom management and emotional and spiritual support for people with life-limiting illnesses, a model that has become central to end-of-life care across the country. According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s 2024 Facts and Figures Report, in 2022, approximately 1.72 million Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in hospice care. In Logan County, local events such as this one help sustain services that families rely on during difficult transitions.

Local listings showed some inconsistencies in branding and menu descriptions, with some notices calling the dinner a hog roast and others advertising "fried chicken and all the fixins’." Organizers and chamber listings also differed slightly on the overall event window, which was listed in one place as running from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Such discrepancies point to a need for clearer communication from event sponsors about official names, menus and door times for future editions.

Beyond the meal and auction, the evening highlighted the unpaid labor that keeps community health supports functioning. Volunteers who brought desserts and staffed the event play a direct role in making hospice services possible for neighbors who may have limited access to paid care. For rural counties that face healthcare workforce shortages, volunteer-run fundraisers remain an important supplement to policy and reimbursement mechanisms.

For readers who missed the event or want to connect with local hospice efforts, ticket and contact information was available through the hospice office at 302 N. Ninth Avenue and by phone at 970-526-7901. Continued community support and clear coordination between organizers, volunteers and the public will be important as Logan County seeks equitable access to compassionate end-of-life care in the years ahead.