Powerful Dreams
The Source
It’s not often you get a chance to raise money for a baseball batting cage by taking cooking lessons, but when it comes to funding extra-curricular activities, Triopia has found you must be creative. The “Cooking School” is just one of the many items up for auction as the Triopia Boosters hold their 19th annual Powerful Dreams event on March 22 at Hamilton’s Banquet Hall. A $100 ticket will get you two prime rib dinners and an evening of entertainment with the Mad Hoss Jackson Band plus access to the many items to be auctioned that evening. Jay Wessler, former Triopia athlete and coach, said, “The event has become sort of a reunion for lots of folks. You get to see people who you haven’t seen since the last Powerful Dreams.” He added that many of the annual crowd have little actual ties to Triopia. “For example, we help out Routt by buying their fund raising tickets so they reciprocate. It’s kind of neat.” The Powerful Dreams night helps to buy the “extras” that a small school’s athletic program needs. Past purchases have included the concession building for Triopia’s football field, a baseball batting cage, the school’s weight room, and a multitude of miscellaneous equipment to enable Triopia’s athletes to maintain the school’s remarkable athletic tradition. All items for the auction are donated so the event often manages to raise between $15,000 and $20,000. “We try to spread it around,” said Wessler, “to make sure that every sport gets treated well.” Several past Power Dreams auctions have featured tickets to Triopia’s theatre productions with the seats going as high as $300 a pair. Some of the items up for auction at this year’s Powerful Dreams include tickets to a Kenny Chesney concert, patio parties, cooking school events, and tickets to professional ballgames. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. on the 22nd with the meal being served at 6:30. “Hamilton’s prime rib is always a big draw,” said Wessler, “and it’s just a real good evening.” Tickets may be purchased from any Triopia Booster member or by calling Wessler Brothers Insurance Agency in Arenzville, the Chapin State Bank, or the First National Bank of Arenzville.