EL DORADO — The Union County Animal Protection Society will hold their annual Mardi Gras Furball and silent auction fundraiser beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the El Dorado Golf and Country Club.
The Mardi Gras-themed event will include special and unique silent auction items, food, Mardi Gras decorations and music provided by Sonic Groove featuring local vocalist Emily Cole and LeBryant Crew.
Tickets are $20 for a single person and $35 for a couple. Tickets are available at Petsense, PJ’s Coffee, Creative Means, El Dorado Golf and Country Club and Oddities.
UCAPS holds the fundraiser every year to support animal rescue in Union County. Almost 90 percent of their $220,000 annual budget comes from donations, fundraisers, adoption fees and grants. “This is also a way that UCAPS likes to thank our donors and the community, by sponsoring a fun evening with Mardi Gras decorations, great food and entertainment,” said President of the UCAPS board, Sandy Maguire.
The evening will feature a special menu of heavy hors d'oeuvres with king cakes from Metairie, La., cash bar, music, dancing, special backdrop and lots of beads. There will also be costume Mardi Gras masks and other handmade items for sale.
“We are very fortunate this year to have donated auction items from several individuals, both locally and from far away,” Maguire said.
An accessory fashion designer in New York, Joan Marentis Kelly, owner and designer of Cosmic Souls Handcrafted Jewelry and Couture Accessories, is sending a cuff bracelet in the style she designs for the TV series “Reign” shown on the CW. The brass ox silverware plate focal with vintage jewelry elements is the Renaissance style used for the series, now in its fourth season.
The designer will also provide many of the hats, headpieces and jewelry featured in the Shelter Pets Project.
Raynelle Roeder, local artisan and crafter, is fashioning several unique pet beds and self-adhesive glitter masks for the auction.
Girls Gone Wine is donating a special bottling of their private label wines, featuring pictures of dogs from the Shelter Pets Project.
Visual artists are donating painting and original art pieces.
“There are also crafts made by the inmate trainers from the Paws in Prison program, featuring Razorback and Harley Davidson clocks, as well as wooden jewelry boxes and painted leather goods,” Maguire said. “Many local merchants have donated items ranging from a Pandora bracelet to a custom floor cleaning kit.”
There are multiple Razorback items and something for everyone of every age.
Local sponsors of the event include PJ’s Coffee, Clear Mountain Natural Spring Water, HEPCO Inc. and ProMed.
Kaitlyn Rigdon is a staff writer at the El Dorado News-Times and she may be reached at 870-862-6611 or by email, [email protected].