You could call it the annual Medicine Lake Ducks Unlimited migration. The Medicine Lake DU Chapter banquet is the premier event in the states fall fundraising season. This years event attracted six current and former members of DUs Board of Directors, nine state chairmen, and five DU staff members to the town of Medicine Lake, home to only 214 residents. The October banquet netted $22,000 from 100 attendeesthe best event attendance and dollars raised by the chapter since 2015.

Even with all of the COVID restriction hoops we needed to jump through, the dinner went very well, said Kathy Christian, area co-chairman and DU advisory senior vice president for membership. The night was also special in that 25 volunteers and staff came from across Montana and the country to help out.

DU Senior Regional Director Barry Allen says it was a great night for the ducks. Barry credits Kathy and her husband, Steve, for making the event a success through their leadership and dedication. Steve is also a past state chairman and the current DU Region 2 vice president.

We had a full hall with nearly 30 sponsors, a great auction, and lots of good times and laughs, Barry said. I want to give a huge shout-out to all the amazing Montana DU volunteers from across this huge state, plus volunteers from Illinois, Utah, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa who attended and assisted the local committee with the event. We could not have done it without them. Go Ducks!

Kathy said volunteers and staff made it a weeklong event, which included hunting, event work, and DU family camaraderie. Every fall we attract more and more DU senior volunteers and staff to the Prairie Pothole Region to experience the wonders of the annual waterfowl migration and our small-town hospitality, she said. The fascinating thing about our passionate DU family is that we all think and speak fluent DUck!