Have Fun, Support 4-H at Iowa 4-H Foundation Gala

AMES, Iowa – The third annual Iowa 4-H Gala includes food, entertainment and a variety of opportunities to support the Iowa 4-H program statewide and at the club level. Registration is open now for the Feb. 25 event at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown.

The gala runs from 6 to 11 p.m. and includes live entertainment by the band Freestyle; a variety of food stations, including a create-your-own pasta bar and top round of beef; cash bar, silent and live auctions, and a special 4-H program.

“This year our auction includes items donated by Iowa 4-H members. Fifty percent of the proceeds from those items will be given to those members’ 4-H clubs,” said Shelly Greving, marketing director for the Iowa 4-H Foundation. “Many of the items have been exhibited by 4-H youth at the Iowa State Fair in recent years.”

Throughout the gala, attendees will have the opportunity to bid on the 4-H members’ items as well as decadent desserts, one-of-a-kind jewelry, date night packages, romantic vacations for two, dream vacations for the whole family and a southern style Cyclone dinner with Peggy and Jeff Johnson, president of the Iowa State University Alumni Association, Greving noted. Bids currently are being accepted online via the Iowa 4-H Foundation website.

The gala also will include a raffle for a Kindle Fire, Greving said.

Funds from the gala benefit the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach 4-H Youth Development program. Registration is preferred by Feb. 20, but will be accepted at the door, Greving said. Register online at http://www.iowa4hfoundation.org/gala/.

Rooms are available at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown to those wanting an overnight stay, Greving added. Call 800-514-4681 to make reservations and ask for the Iowa 4-H Foundation room rate.

Gala sponsors include Bruce Rastetter and Firestone Ag Tires as hospitality sponsors. Table host sponsors include Farmer’s Cooperative Co., Global Reach Internet Productions, Heartland Marketing Group, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, ISU Extension and Outreach, ISU College of Human Sciences, John Deere, Monsanto, Nationwide Insurance, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Successful Farming, Pete and Dana Wenstrand and Chuck Morris. Heuss Printing is also an in-kind sponsor, providing design and printing services.

“The Iowa 4-H Foundation is excited to host this event and support the great work that the Iowa 4-H Youth Development program, staff, volunteers and especially youth are doing throughout the state,” Greving said. “We look forward to entertaining some of Iowa’s most loyal 4-H supporters, business leaders and state leaders during this fun-filled evening.”

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About the mask photo: Donated by O’Brien County 4-H’er Kirsten Elyea, this mask, “La Prima Donna,” represents the theme and sophistication of an opera. Half of the proceeds from the sale of this mask will benefit O'Brien County 4-H.

See more photos of auction items.

Photos from the 2011 Gala are available on the Iowa 4-H flickr site.