A tradition of doing what neds to be done "by ourselves" came to Creston through our pioneer ancesters. From building a School House in the 1880's, a community swimming pool in the early 1960's, a Volunteer Fire House in the 1980's, and more recently, the Volunteer Community Demonstration Garden in the early 1990's, these are a few examples of Creston's pride in "getting the job done" in the true tradition of our pioneers founders. Creston was founded in 1884 ( the brief history of Creston is elsewhere on this web site ).
        During the 1970's and 1980's, many avenues were explored, looking for a way to provide a real community building and a recreational area in Creston.  Creston has been growing, so we need one that is large enough for full use.
       In 1993, all of the active community organizations in Creston joined together in this common purpose, and established the CATCH Fund, which is a trust fund to build this community center. CATCH stands for Creston Activities Town Center Helping-hands. Shortly thereafter, Creston "took the bull by the horns" and created an annual fundraiser: The Creston Classic Rodeo.
      In 1995, the "CCR" became a reality, as well as the major source of income for the CATCH Fund, which holds all the money "in trust" toward our community goal.  The following service organizations support CATCH: The CCR, the Creston Garden Club, The Men's Club, the Volunteer Fire Department, and the Creston Women's Club. In February of 2006,  San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Jim Patterson announced that an agreement between SLO county and the Algee Family Turst has secured a small parcel of land for the goal of a community center. Creston can now, finally, see the light at the end of the tunnel!
     A community Swap Meet/Flea Market was held in October of 2005 to benefit the CATCH fund, with nearly $1000 being raised. Other fundraisers are being planned. The Creston Classic Rodeo is held in the middle of September at the "Rodeo
Grounds" on the corner of Highway 229 ( also known as Webster Road ) and Swayze Street, downtown. The rodeo has grown so much over the years, thanks to our loyal sponsors and community volunteers.
            As  of the end of October of 2007, this fund has grown to about $90,000. Our County Supervisor, Jim Patterson, is hard at work trying to locate a suitable site for the new  CAL FIRE station. The process ran into some unexpected setbacks this past September, 2007. There is still the remote chance that the existing volunteer Fire Station will someday be converted into the Creston Community Center. I would hope that more residents will get involved in the fundraising efforts as we get closer to CATCHING  THE  DREAM of our Center.
      In October, 2008, the Rodeo Board donated $7500, Rodeo Queen Brittany Voss $500, and the Creston 4H $350, to bring the new balance in the Trust Fund to just over $100,000. Hopefully, someone (Rosie?) will update the huge wood Thermometer Billboard on the edge of town. The SLO County Board of Supervisors approved the location of the new CAL FIRE station along Hwy 229 at it's Oct 7th meeting. Jim Patterson
 supports the idea of creating a Community Center where the current Volunteer Fire Station sits.
    In October of 2009, the Rodeo Board hosted a wonderful "Wrap-Up" party in the VIP Corral. A fabulous plaque was presented to George Hearst for his generous donation of new, code-compliant steel bleachers in the Grand Stands of the Rodeo Grounds. Linda Rohrer and Tom Hansen presented Rosie  with a donation check of $5000 for the CATCH fund. The little girls and boys of the Creston 4H club donated $300 to the Catch Fund. At least 6 new "cattle brands" were burned into the wall behind the wood bar. Great food, lots of wine, and just another great party for all of the hard-working volunteers. The Ryan family was the Grand Marshall family this year, which was wonderful. As you remember, the rodeo as a fund raiser for CATCH was Nancy's idea back in 1994/1995. We now have somewhere around $106,000 in the fund as of Nov. 2009.