By COLE REIF Great Bend Post

A new holiday event and fundraiser in Great Bend had a lot of success and surprised Great Bend Fire Chief Brent Smith on the community’s support.


After 17 years of hosting a spaghetti feed, the Great Bend Fire Department
switched to their first Holiday Extravaganza last Saturday at the Great Bend Events Center. 


"It was overwhelming," said Smith. "We didn't expect the event to be quite that big for its first year. We appreciate the citizens that showed up. It's kind of humbling to know that we have that much support in our community."

The Christmas-themed event sold tickets for an evening of barbecue food, a
raffle and entertainment from Dueling Pianos Road Show.&nbsp;

"I was very pleased, and thought the event was very nice for the first time," said Great Bend Mayor Cody Schmidt. The support was overwhelming. It was pretty neat in my opinion."

The Fire Department’s fundraiser in the past has helped the crew raise money to
give back to the community throughout the year.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701963807148.png" alt="At the Great Bend City Council meeting on Dec. 4, Great Bend Fire Chief Brent Smith thanked everyone for attending the Fire Department's first Holiday Extravaganza on Dec. 2." />
 <figcaption>At the Great Bend City Council meeting on Dec. 4, Great Bend Fire Chief Brent Smith thanked everyone for attending the Fire Department's first Holiday Extravaganza on Dec. 2.</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostA new holiday event and fundraiser in Great Bend had a lot of success and surprised Great Bend Fire Chief Brent Smith on the community’s support.
After 17 years of hosting a spaghetti feed, the Great Bend Fire Department
switched to their first Holiday Extravaganza last Saturday at the Great Bend Events Center. 
"It was overwhelming," said Smith. "We didn't expect the event to be quite that big for its first year. We appreciate the citizens that showed up. It's kind of humbling to know that we have that much support in our community."The Christmas-themed event sold tickets for an evening of barbecue food, a
raffle and entertainment from Dueling Pianos Road Show.&nbsp;"I was very pleased, and thought the event was very nice for the first time," said Great Bend Mayor Cody Schmidt. The support was overwhelming. It was pretty neat in my opinion."The Fire Department’s fundraiser in the past has helped the crew raise money to
give back to the community throughout the year.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Great Bend Fire Chief: Humbling to know we have that much support