Another $950 has been raised in memory of the late Beau Arndt — this time through an annual dinner and auction held by Neosho Valley Quail Unlimited Chapter 238.
The event was held Saturday at the Morris County Fairgrounds outside Council Grove.
At the end of the evening, the group auctioned off a package with proceeds designated to go to the Arndt fund, which supports scholarships and hunter education. Arndt died in December 2007 when a man hunting from the roadway shot into a pasture, hitting the young man as he lay in a hunting blind on property northwest of Americus.
The Arndt package included a large print of an eagle, matted and framed by the QU chapter and donated by Roger Wells through the national Quail Unlimited group. A $50 gift certificate from Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply and a $50 gift certificate from The Gun Den completed the package, which was sold to a Council Grove businessman who did not want to be named.
The $950 paid for the package made it the highest-selling item in the auction.
Arndt’s parents, Bob and Christine Arndt, were among the approximately 190 people who attended the evening. Bob Arndt said this morning that the money will be allocated to three projects — a scholarship fund for Northern Heights High School students, through the Americus Recreation Organization; the Beau Arndt Outdoor Appreciation Day, to encourage people to enjoy nature, wildlife and outdoor activities, on Sept. 19 at Camp Alexander; and the Beau Arndt Scholarship at Emporia State University.
Arndt said he and his family very much appreciated the work done by the QU chapter and other groups that support the memorials for Beau.
Proceeds from other items sold through the auction will be used for Quail Unlimited projects, such as improving habitat, Outdoor Youth Shoot events, shotgun training courses, hunter education, the Twin Rivers Water Festival, and other activities that encourage hunter safety and conservation and preservation of the outdoors.
QU Chapter 238 donates substantial funds to developing and enhancing habitat in the area. It also rewards outstanding hunter education students by giving them controlled hunts as prizes for their efforts.