Downtown dinner in Buffalo nets $81,000 for fire relief

BUFFALO (WNE) — After a much-anticipated rainfall last week, the sun shone and set in a pinkish hue on hundreds who gathered on Buffalo’s Main Street on Saturday evening.

The town’s main thoroughfare closed to vehicle traffic for the night as about 1,000 people gathered for dinner, drinks and dancing to benefit residents affected by the House Draw fire that burned more than 174,000 acres at the end of August.

In all, the From the Ashes to the Table community dinner raised roughly $81,000 in donations for the Johnson County Fire Relief Fund, according to organizer Ashlea Bassett.

“I was just so amazed and overwhelmed at the generosity of our community, everyone coming out for one another and the camaraderie,” Bassett said.

Tables and chairs lined South Main Street from Fetterman Avenue to West Angus Street, where the chatter of friends and neighbors filled the air as the sun went down.

Local businesses and individuals donated nearly all the food and supplies for Saturday’s dinner. Volunteers, including 4-H and FFA kids, efficiently doled out burgers, coleslaw and potato salad.

On stage during dinner, Bryce McKenzie briefly reminded attendees of the event that brought everyone together: the wildfire that burned, on average, 83 acres per minute. Diners bowed their heads in a prayer led by Justin Hammerich, thanking God for the fact that few buildings, few livestock and no lives were lost in the fast-moving burn.

Local rancher Andy Stevens said the event was unlike anything he’s ever seen before.

“This is a great community – even a lot of people in town who have nothing to do with ranching were there supporting,” he said.

“We’re Johnson County and we take care of each other,” Bassett said. “That is something that reverberates over and over.”

This story was published on October 24, 2024.