News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
The High Street Band led a rave-up Starry Summer Night Party.
The Starry Summer Night party at Aspen Lakes Friday night did some serious fundraising for Sisters schools - and offered some serious fun for local folks.
A warm, but not-quite-sultry evening was perfect for dancing, and the capacity crowd took full advantage of an outdoor dance floor to fully enjoy the eclectic mix of music provided by The High Street Band. From swing to rock-and-roll, blues to a little bit of disco, High Street kept the crowd dancing until they were well and truly worn out.
The band only paused to give auctioneer Melvin Herburger a chance to tap the wallets of attendees to contribute to the Sisters Schools Foundation's efforts to support quality programs in increasingly cash-strapped schools.
Herburger pushed forward the bidding on 11 live-auction items, while patrons put down their bids on dozens more silent-auction items displayed around the lodge.
The event netted an estimated $20,000.
Dan Fouts scored big for the cause with his offer of lunch and a round of golf for the high bidder. Two bidders in fierce competition ran up the price tag to $3,000. Fouts offered the "loser" a chance to match the $3,000 winner, which he did - sending Fouts out on the golf course twice and pulling in an auction-best tally of $6,000.
Aspen Lakes Brand 33 Restaurant provided a kabob-themed dinner and casual outdoor dining that allowed folks to socialize.
Jena Rickards and her special guest Laura Curtis - both alumni of the Sisters Folk Festival Americana Project - provided opening music to warm up the crowd, reminding patrons that school programs in the arts have produced some highly successful graduates.
The event was conceived as a way to carry forward the momentum of the Sisters Starry Nights Benefit Concert Series, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Sisters Schools Foundation over the past decade.
"With the Sisters Starry Nights Benefit Concert Series on hiatus until 2011, High Street lead vocalist Matt Summers offered to bring the band to Sisters for a summer fundraiser to benefit the Sisters Schools Foundation," said Starry Nights co-chair Susan Arends. "Aspen Lakes and the Cyrus family quickly came on board and A Starry Summer Night was born."
Sisters School District is faced with cutting some $2.5 million from its budget over the next two years, making fundraising efforts critical.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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