On Oct. 27, there will be an auction in the Flathead. Auctions are nothing new in this valley, but Saturday’s event has an extra-special appeal: Up for bid will be 15 of the Flathead’s most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes, complete with date packages.
But the reason behind the auction is the most important part of the evening. All of the money raised in the bidding will go to local cancer patients and their families, helping to offset the staggering costs that can accompany the disease.
The 2012 Bachelor/Bachelorette Auction and Masquerade Ball was organized this year by Flathead Cancer Aid Services, a new nonprofit group started by Marcie Jackson and dedicated to identifying and helping those cancer patients who are most-acutely feeling the financial pinch of getting sick.
Which leads to the fun part. To raise the money necessary to aid these families, the organization is auctioning off some of the best-looking, most-fun individuals in the valley.
Here’s how it works: a local group or business sponsors each bachelor and bachelorette, and is responsible for putting together a date package. The sponsor also chooses a patient who will receive the money bid for that date package.
The Flathead Beacon has two eligible men up for auction: reporter Dillon Tabish and advertising account executive Nic Headlee. Be sure to check them out on stage and throw a few dollars their way.
One of the lucky ladies to be auctioned off this year is Shana O’Brien, a local physical therapist who goes by the name Inshana-Sylum when she’s on the roller derby track.
“I am being sponsored by Flathead Valley Roller Derby and I am putting together a derby date,” O’Brien said last week.
This includes season tickets to all the derby bouts and fan gear to support the local team. The actual date offers a Saturday night dinner at the Rising Sun Bistro in Kalispell, followed by a December derby bout with VIP access and play-by-play from O’Brien. Then, the date heads to the after-party, followed by a stay at the Hilton Garden Inn, where the team has secured two rooms for the date.
The next morning, they’ll head to Split Rock Café for breakfast, and there may be more to do after that, O’Brien said.
Money earned by auctioning the derby date goes to 40-year-old Mike Owens, who was diagnosed in March 2011 with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. He has two small children, O’Brien noted, and can no longer work at UPS due to the strain the illness has put on his body.
“This is going to be a good benefit for him,” O’Brien said.
Tickets for the Oct. 27 auction are $15 for general admission, and 10-seat tables up close to the action are between $250 and $450. There will also be raffles, a silent auction, a photo booth, face painting and live music. The event, at the Hilton Garden Inn, is a masquerade ball, so join the fun and dress to impress.
For more information on Flathead Cancer Aid Services, check out the group’s Facebook page, call 406-471-5146 or send an email to [email protected].