St. Mary’s auction, dinner next Saturday

Ahhh, the Islands of Aloha Paradise with sandy beaches, warm tropical trade winds and sunsets made for sharing with the one you love.

But at St. Mary’s Catholic School, Islands of Aloha have a different meaning – it means another year of education.

The church will hold its 34th annual fundraising auction, Islands of Aloha, next Saturday at the Mirabeau Park Hotel.

“We don’t turn away a student because the family can’t afford to pay,” said Grace Hammersley, the school’s development director. “And the funds go to help pay for basic school maintenance.”

Silent auction tables will open for bidding at 4:30 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6 and the formal auction, featuring 80 items, will begin at 7.

Tickets for the dinner are $35.

One of the stars of this year’s auction hasn’t yet appeared, Hammersley said.

“We’ll have a shih tzu puppy as one of the auction items,” she said. “In past years we’ve had the puppy at the auction for people to see, but this year the puppy has yet to make an appearance. I’m told that could be any day now.”

Auction items that will be on hand include a helicopter tour of the area, a print of a Georgia O’Keeffe painting and tickets to see Gonzaga University’s annual Battle in Seattle college basketball game, with transportation aboard a corporate jet.

“We’ll have some genuine Hawaiian leis flown in just for the dinner that people can bid on – in keeping with the theme,” Hammersley said. “We have a number of trips – including a week at a condo in Hawaii. We have tickets to see the Mariners, the Seahawks and a suite to see the Chiefs play hockey.”

The dinner menu includes seared ahi tuna, Jamaican rum pork tenderloin, with Kahlua mousse for dessert

“I know it’s not all Hawaiian, but it sounds good,” Hammersley laughed.

The evening doesn’t end with the auction. Live music and dancing follows to the music of Rhythm Method.