By Sarah Gaskins
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Those of you who are twenty-one or older and have yet to make plans for the upcoming weekend should definitely consider attending CSUB's 14th annual Casino Night.
The festivities will take place this Friday, February 6 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the CSUB Icardo Center. The theme is Casino Night in the Islands, so anyone who is planning on joining in on the celebrations should be sure to sport their finest 'Island' attire.
Upon arrival to the event, attendees will be provided with dinner catered by Outback Steakhouse. For dessert, guests will be able to choose from among a variety of pies from Marie Callender's.
Attendees will also be able to indulge in different flavors of ice cream. In addition, there will be beverage stations placed throughout different areas of the Icardo Center.
The focal points of the evening will center upon both the silent and live auctions that will take place throughout the night. The auctions will showcase a wide array of items ranging from and pertaining to travel, entertainment, food and yes, that's right ladies, jewelry. CSUB's Director of Special Events, Mark Mayes, estimated that there will be over 400 items up for bidding in the silent auction.
The live auction on the other hand will consist of fewer, yet more extravagant items. Such items up for bidding will include custom built cabinetry at a value of $10,000, Hawaii vacations, Golfing Trips to San Diego and Phoenix, a LASIK Eye Procedure from Fritch Eye Care, Unique Gourmet Dinners and a Piaggio scooter valued at $3,000.
All the items that will be displayed and auctioned off are donations kindly given by people and companies, not only from around Bakersfield, but from farther areas as well. With this said, it is great to see both the community of Bakersfield and our neighboring communities make generous contributions towards this event even in times of economic doubt.
Not only will people be able to take part in bidding for items in the auctions, but they will also be encouraged to play blackjack in an effort to win prizes during the drawings that will eventually be held towards the end of the night.
Why host a Casino Night you wonder?
"This event raises much needed dollars to help support our student-athlete scholarship fund," said Mayes. In other words, all the proceeds that are generated throughout the course of the night go to the student-athlete scholarship program here at CSUB.
Mayes, as well as the many other members of the Athletic Department, initially begin to plan and organize this event every year during the month of October. It is clear to see that a lot of time, effort and preparation are needed to carry out this event and to make it a success.
In describing the preparation aspects of Casino Night, Mayes states that "finding a date that works for not only the event, but working around the busy schedules that our various teams have going on," is a factor that must be taken into consideration. Mayes also shares that designing and producing promotional materials, sponsorship opportunities, auction procurement forms and event tickets are also tasks that must be accomplished while planning this particular event.
He also states that "going through previous auction donation forms and identifying potential donors" are duties that must be taken care of in order to even have auction items.
While Casino Night truly does take a lengthy time to both plan and execute, the effects it produces are worthwhile. Not only is it for a good cause, but guests and attendees always seem to really enjoy themselves.
Tickets for CSUB's Casino Night are available at www.gorunners.com or can be purchased in the Athletic Department offices in the Icardo Center on campus. Pre-sale tickets run for $30 and tickets at the door amount to $35.
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