The Inter-Mountain photos by Edgar Kelley Dorothy Simmons, left, and Carrie Shupp hold a pair of skunks owned by Simmons during a fundraising event at DiBella’s Third Street Bar & Grill Saturday night, hosted by the Randolph County Humane Society.

Randolph County Humane Society Board of Directors President Jenna Lee, right, speaks to a husky named Lyra and the dog’s owner, Carrie Shupp, during a fundraiser Saturday.

ELKINS — A special fundraiser for the Randolph County Humane Society Saturday raised more than $1,300.

The Humane Society has hosted a series of fundraising events across town this month billed as “Pours 4 Paws.”

Beander’s Restaurant and Tavern, Big Timber Brewing, El Toro Steakhouse, Jimbo’s Place and DiBella’s Third Street Bar & Grill played host to the events. At each location, patrons were treated to an evening of food and drink specials, as well as entertainment.

“Our fundraising committee hoped this series of events would give people something fun to look forward to during the cold month of January, while also supporting our local businesses,” Humane Society Board President Jenna Lee told The Inter-Mountain. “All of the events were successful and we are incredibly grateful to all the hosts and everyone who attended.”

Pets were welcome to join their owners at all the host establishments. At DiBella’s on Saturday, several dogs and a pair of skunks came out with their owners to celebrate a night out on the town. A live performance from Wyatt Turner and pork barbecue dinners were also offered at DiBella’s. 

“We had a great turnout for Pours 4 Pets Saturday night, everything went great,” DiBella’s owner Larry DiBella told The Inter-Mountain. “We raised over $1,300 for the Humane Society and everyone had a great time. We had several people bring their pets out for the event, including someone who brought two skunks.”

Lee was thankful for all the businesses who participated in Pours 4 Pets and said plans are in place to bring the event back next year.

“We truly appreciate our community partners and want to thank all of the local businesses who took part in this year’s event,” said Lee. “This was a new event for 2024 and we plan to make it an annual fundraiser moving forward.”

The next fundraising event planned for the RCHS will take place on Feb. 24, when it hosts its annual Spay-ghetti Dinner. This year’s event will be held at the Phil Gainer Community Center, and the St. Patrick’s Guild of Coalton will once again be making their famous spaghetti and meatballs at the event, which will feature adoptable dogs and cats. All proceeds will benefit the Trap, Neuter, Release program at the RCHS.

For more information on the RCHS or any of its upcoming events, go to www.rchswv.org