Lincoln-Reagan Day dinner set for Saturday

Blaine County and Hill County Republicans will hold their Lincoln-Reagan Dinner Saturday in the Commercial Building on the Blaine County Fairgrounds.

Don Richman, chairman of the Blaine County Republican Party and former state Senate candidate, said the dinner is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the groups in both counties.

The Hill and Blaine county group host the annual fundraising dinner jointly.

Richman said the dinner will begin at 5 p.m. with a cocktail hour, followed by a prime rib dinner. The dinner will feature guest speakers, live and silent auctions and conclude with a dance.  

In recent years Hill County Republicans have hosted the dinner in Havre, but Richman said the Blaine County group wanted to do its part this year by hosting the dinner.  

He added that, in the future, he hopes Hill and Blaine counties can each take turns hosting the dinner.

As of Friday, state Sen. Mike Lang, R-Malta, is the only speaker who has confirmed he will be attending, Richman said.

This year, Blaine and Hill counties dinner happens the same night former Vice President Dick Cheney is set to speak at the Lewis and Clark County Lincoln-Reagan dinner, which he said could draw away some of the party’s more prominent figures.

Richman said he has hopes but has not yet heard back from several possible speakers, including the party’s 2016 candidates for governor and lieutenant governor Greg Gianforte and Lesley Robinson, and former state Sen. Kris Hansen of Havre. Hansen resigned from the state Senate in December when she took the job of chief legal counsel with the state auditor’s office.

Tickets can be purchased at Richman Insurance in Harlem, Erickson Insurance Group in Havre and Bear Paw Livestock in Chinook at $50 each for the dinner or $10 for just the dance.