FOAL Fundraiser Saturday: Celebrate Wild Horses and Wildlife Conservation

A celebration of the water project that benefits all McCullough Peaks wildlife, including wild horses, will highlight FOAL’s fall fundraiser.

The third annual Mustang Rendezvous will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10. FOAL, Friends of a Legacy, is a local, non-profit advocacy group working to protect and preserve the wild horses that roam the BLM range east of Cody.

The event will include dinner catered by Janet Stewart, live music by the Willwood Gypsies, and a silent auction. During a brief program, speakers will explain the water project and discuss the wild horses, particularly the fertility program to control numbers.

The Mustang Rendezvous will take place 26 miles east of Cody on U.S. Highway 14-16-20 at FOAL’s property. Tickets, priced at $40 for adults and $20 for children, are available at the Cody Country Chamber of Commerce and online at friendsofalegacy.org.

“The Rendezvous will celebrate the completion of the project that provides water vital to the horses, antelope, and other animals and birds, including golden eagles and sage-grouse,” FOAL President Warren Murphy said. “We invite the public to dine on the prairie, serenaded by the Willwood Gypsies.”

Proceeds from the event benefit the mustangs by helping support BLM’s fertility control, which ensures a sustainable herd, as well as fund land-improvement efforts that benefit all wildlife.

Diners will enjoy a spread of chicken, brisket, cole slaw, potato salad, vegetable salad, and assorted cookies. The Willwood Gypsies, a local string band that performs acoustic bluegrass, roots, folk, country, and more, will play during the evening.

The silent auction items range from original artwork to professional photographs, along with baskets filled with a variety of goodies. Available for purchase will be T-shirts and other FOAL merchandise.

For the program, FOAL’s partners in the water project will explain the system of wells, pipelines, and guzzlers. Other speakers, knowledgeable about the McCullough mustangs, will share their horse stories and demonstrate the darting method used to deliver the fertility-control vaccine.

“With luck, Mustang Rendezvous participants will be treated with sightings of the wild horses, a symbol of the American West,” Murphy added. “They will also become supporters in preserving a living legacy.”

Originally posted by Cody Enterprise