ATHABASCA — Athabascans, mark your calendars — the 2024 Athabasca Rotary Celebrity Dinner and Auction is fast approaching, and this year’s event is boasting a line-up of live and silent auction items you won’t want to miss.
Slated for April 26 at 5 p.m. in the Athabasca Regional Multiplex fieldhouse, the much-anticipated evening will be the first iteration of the event since October 2022. And the wait was well worth it for those planning to attend, thanks to the generous donations of this year’s platinum, diamond, and gold community sponsors.
“We’re really excited,” said Rotarian and mayor of Athabasca Rob Balay. “This is always one of the grand events that our community holds every couple of years, so we’re looking forward to doing it once again.”
Auction prize packages
Big ticket items for the live auction include a six-piece Mastercraft cabinet garage set, and an Edenvale sectional patio set complete with a Vermont Castings three-burner barbecue donated by Canadian Tire.
Darcy and Shirley Zelman of Grand Rapids Wilderness Adventures are offering up a four-day trip on the Athabasca River for four lucky guests, and the Rotary club, in conjunction with Dale Hawkey, have sponsored a one-week trip to Mexico, including airfare.
Hockey fans won’t be disappointed by the selection either; four lower bowl tickets to watch the Edmonton Oilers in action at Roger’s Place were donated by Comco Pipe, and a signed alumni jersey will be up for grabs thanks to the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation.
Cheap Seats Sporting Goods is putting up an e-bike valued at $3,000, and Inland Concrete has a prize of 20 yards of pea gravel with the highest bidders name on it. And that’s not everything — Balay said more major prize packages will continue to make the roster as the date approaches.
Lucky 13 and silent auction
The evening will feature the return of the popular Lucky 13 Puppet Auction for those eager to expand their locally made puppet collections.
A baker’s dozen puppets, crafted by the artisans at Hawkey Studios, will be auctioned off to the highest bidders, who will then draw cards until only one remains. The last guest standing will have their pick of the top three live auction prizes.
According to Balay, community sponsors have also come through with a long list of goodies for the silent auction portion of the evening.
Approximately 75 items, including a $ 600-yard maintenance package from Polarscapes, a family of four season pass to Tawatinaw Valley Ski Club, and a fully-stocked beer fridge courtesy of Canadian Tire and Dog Island Brewing, will be up for grabs.
For those interested in continuing education, two PowerEd Micro-credential courses courtesy of Athabasca University, valued at $1,400, will go to the highest bidder.
Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in a ‘heads or tails’ competition, for which a $20 bill will give anyone with luck on their side a chance to win a $500 gift certificate.
“Both with the live and silent auction, we tried to have a range of things to bid on for everyone, whether you only have $50 to spend or you’ve got $500,” said Balay.
Fundraising and sponsorships
The Rotary club is hoping to raise more than $100,000 in 2024, well above what Balay recalls as the event’s previous fundraising record.
“Eighteen months ago, we managed to raise just over $80,000 in the evening,” said Balay, a total not encompassing funds raised via the online 50/50 draw. “I think our all-time high was around $90,000 we made in one night.”
This year’s funds will go towards Rotary’s usual projects, like the Rotary Way trail system, the Billy Loutit Triathlon, and programming like Don’t Meth with Us put on by Aspen View Public School Division.
However, the club is also looking to fund two major community projects with the money raised — a Riverfront pavilion project, spearheaded by the Athabasca Lions Club, and a revitalization of the STARS regional helipad projects in Boyle and Athabasca.
While many local businesses have already jumped on sponsorship opportunities to help make these projects a reality, Balay said more support and donations are always welcome.
“To get into the printed program, they have to be in by the 20th,” said Balay. He added sponsors who enter past the deadline would still be recognized in the video slideshow during the event, and by the em-cee.
For sponsorship and donation inquiries, contact Balay at [email protected], or 780-327-9646, or Francis Hachey at [email protected], or 780 689-1480. Tickets and tables are available for purchase at Showpass.com, or by contacting a local Rotarian.
