Yaak residents fundraising to fix community hall

Yaak residents’ efforts to refurbish its community hall continue as it hosts a breakfast for hunters next week.

The structure, built in 1925, will see its 100th year next July 4 and organizers are working to ensure it will be around in another 100 years.

The breakfast for hunters and non-hunters, will be held from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. Tom Oar and Will Stringfellow of the History Channel’s Mountain Main TV show will be there, too.

The breakfast features two options, including a grab and go selection for $10. It includes a homemade breakfast burrito, homemade pastry and coffee or juice.

For those who want to sit down and visit, a made to order breakfast for $12 includes pancakes, eggs and hashbrowns, sausage patties or bacon, pastry and coffee or juice.

According to Robyn King, who is organizing the fundraisers for the community hall, there will be raffles for door prizes and handmade jewelry, a raffle for a quilt by Yaak residents. She also said there will likely be a surprise silent auction item made by Oar and Stringfellow

“We have been working with some very talented people at "The Heart of the Rockies" for grant preparation and fundraising,” Sandy Beder-Miller said. 

King explained that the group is seeking a $200,000 Historic Preservation grant from the Montana Department of Commerce.

It has also partnered with the Kootenai National Forest, Three Rivers Ranger District and the Lincoln County Commission.

The application will be considered by the state legislature early next year.

The Yaak Community Hall Board has secured about $14,000 in cash and in-kind contributions and is still seeking $18,000.

One of its other fundraisers is buying a $100 larch cookie round that will be engraved with the donor’s name and displayed in the community hall.

The Yaak Women’s Club contributed nearly $6,100 toward rehabilitation work and are being held in a building fund.

Homesteaders such as Walter Smoot, Gus Schultz and Bill Hoskins used large larch logs to build the community hall. The first gathering was a dance on July 4, 1925. The hall also was a site for meetings, parties, weddings, school plays, pot lucks and game nights.

Today, it hosts CPR/AED classes, is the central location for the food pantry and in case of wildfire, is the evacuation center.

While the hall’s Community Board has done electrical upgrades, roof repair and ADA accessible ramp installation, time is taking its toll on the old structure.

According to King, the floor is bowing because there is no foundation and moisture in the lower logs has caused some rot.

The goal is to pour concrete footings and an 8-inch concrete wall foundation, install floor joists and plywood decking, remove and replace rotting logs.

For more information or to contribute, contact King at 406-249-5694 or email her at at ychfundraising@gmail.com.