Vandal Summer Fest June 7


The West Treasure Valley Chapter of Vandal Boosters is holding its third annual Vandal Summer Fest June 7 at Sunnyside Farms. Money raised will go to support athletic scholarships at the University of Idaho. Above, chapter President Marg Chipman addresses a sold out crowd that attended the 2022 event. Photo by Philip A. Janquart
By: 
Philip A. Janquart
West Treasure Valley Chapter of the UofI Vandal Boosters is holding its third annual Vandal Summer Fest on Wednesday, June 7 at 5 p.m.
 The event will once again be held at Sunnyside Farms and Events, located at 1526 Sunnyside Road south of Weiser.
 Tickets are $35 for individuals and $60 for couples.  
 They can be purchased by visiting www.eventbrite.com. You can also get your tickets at the Weiser Public Library.
 All proceeds benefit the University of Idaho’s Vandal Scholarship Fund, which provides athletic scholarships to the school’s approximately 300 student athletes.
 “It will be a great evening; we have a super fun dinner with barbecue sirloin and pork sirloin, cheesy mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, salad and a roll,” said Western Treasure Valley Chapter President Marg Chipman. 
 The beef is donated by Agri Beef and will be catered by the company’s Business Promotion Manager and “BBQ” Guy Steve Sinatra and his wife Sarah. There will be silent and live auctions.  
 On tap is musical artist and Vandal alumnus Spencer Batt. Among the items up for bid in the live auction is a jet boat trip and two tickets to the Nov. 18 Vandal football game versus Idaho State University at the Kibbie Dome.  
 Vandal head football coach Jason Eck is the featured guest at this year’s event. 
 “This will be one of only two appearances in southern Idaho this summer by our football coach,” noted Chipman who is a UofI alumnus. “We are really expecting great things from our football team this year.” 
 The Vandals are ranked No. 7 in 2023 FCS preseason rankings released on May 23. In his first year at the helm, Eck led his team to 7-5 overall and 6-2 Big Sky Conference records in 2022, a vast improvement over previous seasons.
 “We got into the first round of the playoffs last year, but coach Eck is really hoping that we can host a [playoff] game this year,” Chipman said. “We have to finish near the top, I think, in order to host a game, so we’ve got our sights set on that. We have a lot of returning players and a whole new crew of recruits and signees.”
 That’s where the Vandal Scholarship Fund comes in. There are several Vandal booster chapters in Idaho, one in the Puget Sound area of Washington state, and a group that meets in Washington, D.C., according to Chipman. The main purpose of the chapters is to raise money in support of the university’s athletic scholarships.
 “The money we raise goes into the Vandal Scholarship Fund and is apportioned out over the 300 student athletes,” Chipman said. “I think there are 16 sports at the university. It’s a huge bill to fund all of those scholarships.” 
 The Western Treasure Valley Chapter of the UofI Vandal Boosters has been upping its contribution by holding the Vandal Summer Fest. 
 “The first year, we raised $10,000,” Chipman said. “Last year we raised $20,000, which is the cost of a full scholarship. Our goal this year is to raise $30,000 to fund at least one and a half scholarships. To be a student and also an athlete, that’s a whole lot on your plate and anything we can do to help these kids and support our alma mater, we are going to do.” 
 This year, part of the money raised will go to help a local graduating Weiser High School student, according to Chipman.
 “One of our auction items is a Shore Lodge (McCall) experience,” she added. “You get a gift certificate to use how you want for lodging, meals, and a spa experience at the beautiful Shore Lodge on Payette Lake. The proceeds for that auction will go for a local scholarship for a Weiser student that is heading to UofI. We are pretty excited about that.”

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