MONTAGUE — The Montague Center Volunteer Fire Department is hosting an inaugural benefit golf tournament with the hope of creating a new fall fundraising tradition.
The tournament, scheduled for Friday, Sept. 26, is open to teams of four who will play starting at 8 a.m. at the Thomas Memorial Golf Course in Turners Falls. There will be raffle prizes and winners for the longest drive, closest to the line and closest to the pin. A post-tournament meal will be served, and proceeds will benefit the Montague Center Fire Department Association.
Montague Center Fire Lt. Joe Klaus said that the department used to participate in the Pumpkin Fest in Turners Falls, and since the last festival, an opportunity for fundraising for the association hasn’t been available.
“Since [Pumpkin Fest] has gone away, we haven’t really had a good event to make good money for the community, so I came up with the idea early this fall,” Klaus said of the tournament, noting that he’s participated in several golf tournaments before, which are “good moneymakers.”
“I played about 15 tournaments this year already for other organizations, and it’s a great time,” he said.
While the department isn’t aiming for a specific donation amount, Klaus said the hope is to draw in money that the association will use to support the other yearly community events they host. This includes purchases of candy for Montague Center kids who go trick-or-treating during Halloween, the annual Fourth of July bonfire, or to support department and community members when necessary.
Thus far, Klaus says there has been good momentum behind the tournament. Several local businesses have signed up to sponsor the tournament, and 12 teams of four have already registered.
As the tournament nears, Klaus said Thomas Memorial will be taking team sign-ups right until Friday morning, with the maximum number of teams at 17. Other local fire departments have signed up teams to play, including Turners Falls Fire and Northfield Fire.
In the future, Klaus hopes the tournament can be hosted throughout the year, with opportunities for more teams to sign up when they aren’t working on weekdays, and grow the tradition.
“It looks like we’re gonna have great weather, and it’s gonna be a great day,” he said.
The golf tournament is still accepting teams of four for $400, and teams can register at the Montague Center Volunteer Fire Department at 28 Old Sunderland Road, or email mcfdaevent@gmail.com. Teams are available to sign up until Friday morning at the golf course at 29 Country Club Lane in Turners Falls.
