SIKESTON -- A taste of Italy is coming to Sikeston with "An Evening in Tuscany," The Christian Academy's Sixth Annual Dinner Auction.
Set to begin at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 24 at the First United Methodist Church, the night will feature dinner and silent and live auctions as well as vocal entertainment.
"This has historically been our biggest fundraiser, so we are excited about the possibilities this year," said Erin Parker, coordinator of the event. "We have set a goal for $20,000 and we are working hard on donations."
JD's Steakhouse will provide the dinner, featuring Tuscan-style pork chops and Italian chicken breasts while Sweet Cheeks Bakery will donate desserts for the dessert bar. There will also be vocal entertainment provided by Gennice Gipson, Dr. David Lawrence, Steve and Patty McPheeters, Kari Byrd and others.
A silent auction will be held along with a live auction conducted by Charles Breeden. Some of the items up for auction include a Yeti cooler, X-Box One, custom built wooden outdoor furniture, jewelry, a weekend getaway, guns, theme baskets and class projects, where every class does their own project and it is then put up for auction.
"We are still in the process of gathering things," Parker said. "There should be a wide range of bidding opportunities for all ages and budgets."
This year there will also be a new option for those with children. A pizza-n-play option will provide dinner and activities for children 18 months to 10 years in an adjacent, kid-friendly space. The on-site child care is available when the doors open throughout the event for $10 per child.
Tickets for the dinner auction are currently on sale and several different options are available. A TCA patron table option is available for $500. This includes a reserved table with eight tickets, valet parking, plated dinner, plated dessert and ad recognition.
A corporate sponsor table option is available for $300 which includes a reserved table with eight tickets, first to buffet and ad recognition.
A table sponsor option is available for $100 which reserves a table but dinner tickets are not included.
General seating is also available at $30 for adult tickets and $15 for children age 8 and under. Parker said there will be kid friendly items on the buffet.
Tickets can be purchased by contacting Teresa Fisk in the school office at 481-0216 until Feb. 13. Parker said they are still accepting product donations for the auction as well as monetary donations.
"We have a great number of TCA volunteers who are working very hard to make this year's auction a success," Parker said. "We are very appreciative of the support the community shows us. Without their generous spirit the dinner auction wouldn't be possible. It's going to be a really nice evening."