PA Fire Departments' Lucrative Bashes Put on Hold

Four lottery ball machines whirred simultaneously at the Southwest Greensburg Gun Bash in February, a crowd of people eager to see the winning numbers for the next handgun, rifle or up to $200 in cash.

The annual event drew about 600 people, who filled the fire station’s truck bay and social hall.

RELATED: Cancelled Fundraisers Mean Cancelled Funds for Volunteer FDs

The concept of the gun bash is familiar to fire departments and nonprofit organizations across western Pennsylvania that rely on fundraising as their main source of income.

“We used to do six, seven, eight fundraisers a year like Las Vegas night, chicken BBQs — and those things kind of dried out,” said Southwest Greensburg fire Chief Bill Wright Jr. “We do two gun bashes a year now, and those two gun bashes have replaced all those little ones.”

But the coronavirus pandemic brought bashes and other gatherings of large groups to a grinding halt as stay-at-home orders and social distancing regulations were implemented.

Starting in March, bingos, fish fries and raffles were canceled, leaving departments scrambling to find other means of paying bills and purchasing equipment. Some have turned to Facebook and other social media sites to host cash and purse raffles. Others postponed events.

“It was almost like a sigh of relief for us that we were able to get ours in in time, right before everything kind of … just shut down,” Wright said. “Financially, we would have been able to survive if we would have missed that, but we would have really been having to tighten our budget and maybe cut out some things, some protective equipment or something we would normally buy every year.”

West Mifflin No. 3 Volunteer Fire Company postponed its May sportmen’s bash until October. Chief Joe Hlasnick said they decided against hosting the event virtually.

“We like having the opportunity to get to know a lot of the people who support the organization on a more personal level,” he said. “There’s 300 and some people in the building that day, but the more you can be out there and interact with the people that are supporting you, I feel like the better off you are.”

The sportmen’s bash has been held for more than 15 years, making it one of their main fundraisers.

State and federal grants, along with lower bill totals during the pandemic, has helped the station stay on budget.

Some revenue will start to come in once the kitchen reopens for curbside delivery and take-out orders, Hlasnick said.

Wright, however, is concerned about a gun bash planned for Nov. 1. Department officials have adjusted the budget in case the event is canceled to ensure they will make it through the end of the year.

Means of income

While often relying on state and federal grants, fundraisers at fire departments have been part of the culture for years as officials make fire safety a priority while keeping the financial burden off taxpayers.

At Southwest Greensburg, larger events are a good alternative to small fundraisers that require a lot of man power to successfully operate, said Ed Milliron, a volunteer firefighter at the department.

Milliron, 55, worked in the kitchen during the February gun bash as other volunteers sold raffle tickets. Rows of guns were lined up near the bay doors, signs reading “Please do not handle firearms” posted on the tables.

“You’re here to win something, but the money that you’re paying, you’re putting out for the tickets, it supports them,” Sue Reagan, 62, of Greensburg said about the department. “So you’re kind of fundraising for them, but you also have a chance to win something.”

Reagan and her sister Sandy Geary, 65, of Derry, attend the event each year with other family members to support the department and enjoy a day out.

Brian Thompson, 41, of Crabtree said he has bought tickets the past five or six years, but was attending his first gun bash this year. Both Thompson and Rege Garris, 58, of South Greensburg, came to the event to support their fire department.

“We’re having a hard time getting volunteer firemen and so everything we can do to at least give them the funds they require to help protect our neighborhoods is important,” Garris said.

Both Wright and Hlasnick declined to say how much money their bashes raise.

Big bashes

Success at the local level has led to larger bashes, including the All American Grand Bash in Morgantown, W.Va. The event offers $650,000 in cash and prizes. It was pushed from March 21 to July after the pandemic hit, event founder John Throckmorton said.

“We thought by July this will all be taken care of,” he said.

Throckmorton started the All American bash in 2014 to raise money for West Virginia University Medicine Children’s Hospital, which assisted in his daughter Meg’s recovery after a dance accident.

Doctors predicted the then-16-year-old would be paralyzed from the chin down. After spending three days at WVU Children’s Hospital, she was transferred to the Shepherd Center, an Atlanta hospital that specializes in spinal cord injuries.

That’s where she started wiggling her toes.

“She did things in therapy today so we know it’s no longer if she’s going to walk, it’s when she’s going to walk,” Throckmorton recalled being told by a Shepherd Center nurse.

Once they returned home, the family knew they needed to do something to benefit the hospitals. After working with a friend who has assisted in gun bashes across western Pennsylvania, the Throckmortons landed on the All American Grand Bash.

Today, the event draws thousands of people and has sold out the past few years — something Throckmorton never imagined happening.

Now, his goals are even bigger.

“Within three to five years, we should be in the million-dollar range in the event,” he said.

The first year the event was held, about 3,000 people attended. Last year, that number jumped to almost 9,000, causing Throckmorton to expand the venue with a 20,000-square-foot tent to give attendees additional space.

The All American bash offers high-end prizes like a Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupe, $100,000 cash, a seven-day trip to Hawaii and more.

Another large event is slated for Sept. 19 in Indiana County, featuring $100,000 in guns. The top prize includes a Barrett .50-caliber rifle. Originally scheduled for Saturday, the Blackout Tinting Gun Bash has been moved to Sept. 19.

Josh Poponick, event founder and owner of Blackout Tinting in Unity, said he hopes to raise $100,000 to benefit Latrobe’s annual fireworks show, despite the event being canceled this year.

“I grew up on St. Clair Street in Latrobe,” he said. “I don’t know what it was about it, but I still picture walking from St. Clair Street to the stadium with my parents and my sister, and we’d set up a blanket and it became one of my favorite things.”

He landed on the concept of the gun bash after realizing how much it costs to put on a fireworks show.

About 4,000 tickets are available for the event, which will be held at the Kovalchick Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tickets, which include food and alcohol, can be purchased at blackoutbash.org.

Non-traditional shift

Coming from the days of spaghetti dinners and simple bingos, changing interests has caused fundraisers to grow to gun, purse and cash bashes along with drag queen bingos.

That change was felt by Westmoreland Community Action, a nonprofit organization aimed at ending poverty, in 2015 when it started hosting a purse bash. During the first two years, community response did not go as planned, said executive director Mandy Zalich.

“As the crowd changed and we received feedback from attendees, the event moved to becoming the Pistols and Purses Bash in 2017,” Zalich said, noting the event now draws more than 400 people.

After expenses, between $17,000 and $20,000 is raised, which is used for emergency services such as the food pantry; transportation and holiday gifts for children; employee training and engagement; community outreach and more, Zalich said.

According to an annual report for 2018-19, Westmoreland Community Action receives just over 85% of funds from grants.

The rest is made up of fundraising (1%), sales (1%), program fees (3%), in-kind donations (under 1%) and other revenue (9.5%).

The live event, originally planned for April 14, was eventually changed to a virtual fundraiser. It started Monday, with winners announced daily through June 17.

Amy Faltot, founder of the Fawn Township-based nonprofit Superheroes Believe in Miracles, said her annual purse bash brings in about $20,000. She came up with the idea five years ago after she attended a similar event at a Butler County mall.

“I thought it was a really nice time,” Faltot said. “Everyone was having fun, and we were starting to think of different ways (to fundraise), and that was one of the things we thought we should try.

It started really small and every year we started growing out of every place. It’s been our staple fundraiser.

Faltot’s March 8 event featured 18 purses worth $300 or more along with accessories, wallets and phone cases.

Faltot said her organization, which helps children battling chronic or serious illnesses, has held fundraisers ranging from pancake breakfasts to holiday raffles. While she still hosts a bowling fundraiser, others, such as a rock concert, were phased out after not bringing in enough money.

While the idea of bash fundraisers has seemingly swept western Pennsylvania, other areas like Worcester County, Md., and California host similar events.

In Maryland, the Showell Volunteer Fire Department hosted a sportsman’s bash March 7. According to its website, the event raffled off 25 guns, three crossbows, two ATVs and cash prizes.

The Gun Owners of California are hosting a gun bash that raffles off 52 guns in 52 weeks. The raffle started Jan. 4. Participants are able to purchase as many tickets as they want, but the organization is only selling 1,500 tickets. Proceeds from the event benefit the organization.

Across the region, several spring fundraisers were postponed because of the virus.

A gun bash at the Pioneer Hose Company in Brackenridge was postponed from its original April 4 date. A decision on the event will be made June 11, according to its Facebook page.

All But Furgotten, an animal shelter in North Huntingdon, is planning a cash bash for June 27 at the Jeannette American Legion. The event was originally planned for March 21.

A purse bash slated for April 26 at the Castle Shannon Volunteer Fire Department was rescheduled for August 30 and a similar event for South Hills Pet Rescue was moved to Nov. 28 from March 21.

A meat bash for the Ligonier Volunteer Hose Company No. 1 was postponed twice, said Phil Fleming, vice president of the company. Originally slated for March 21, the event was rescheduled for May 2, but again postponed.

“I’ve seen other organizations that have a basket bash or a purse bash, gun bashes, tool bashes. Ours just happens to be a meat bash,” Fleming said.

Now in its second year, the event, which draws about 150 people, raffles off frozen cuts of meat from local butchers.

Fleming said officials landed on the idea in an effort to not duplicate other local fundraisers.

The department hosts other fundraisers throughout the year, including food sales.

“It would be wonderful if funding would drop out of the sky … but that’s not the case,” he said. “We have to raise the money to protect the community that we serve.”

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