Barn dance benefits outreach program

PALMER — If you’re looking for something to do on Saturday you could do worse than supporting Santa Cop and Heroes at its annual barn dance.

We know what you’re thinking — charity functions can sometimes be long on ceremony and short on fun. But we’ll bet you none of those functions included a mechanical bull.

“I think a bunch of rodeo people are going to show up,” said Karen Martin, who works in the evidence room at the Palmer Police Department and is helping organize the event. “They were really into that last year, so I think we decided this year we ought to have a contest for them.”

Something else most other stuffy charity events don’t have — the Ken Peltier Band.

Martin says the doors open at 6 p.m. and the whole thing is done at midnight. Peltier and his country band take the stage at 8 p.m.

It’d be worth it to show up early, though, as the event gathers an extensive list of items for its silent auction, including everything from yoga lessons to snowplowing and a diamond watch. There are also a couple of raffles this year, including a split-the-pot and three Savage Axis guns.

The event is for the 21-and-over crowd and proceeds benefit the Santa Cop and Heroes program.

If you haven’t heard of that program, it’s a charity that grew out of the Palmer Police Department as an outreach for seniors.

“Our main mission is to help fund our main mission, which is to provide gifts and companionship to seniors on Christmas who are alone,” Martin said.

During the few years it’s been around, Santa Cop and Heroes has grown to include nearly every police agency and fire department in the Mat-Su Borough, most of which provide responders to visit the seniors and bring them gifts.

It’s also grown into more of a year-round organization.

“We’ve really reached out because we are lucky and we did get some funding and some grants (and) we help a lot of seniors with snowplowing, snow removal. We deliver firewood, help pay utility bills in emergency situations, we repaired roofs, purchased heating stoves, hearing aids, things like that,” Martin said.

But whenever possible, Santa Cop and Heroes tries to refer seniors to other service organizations in their areas.

“We want to help them help themselves,” Martin said. “In the meantime, we do often get them through some rough patches.”

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270

or andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.