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BIPS fundraiser is one to bet on

BY MARCY SHORTUSE – Sensuous spies, million-dollar baccarat games and intrigue will be the theme for the Barrier Island Parks Society’s “007: Casino Royale” Green Gala, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Boca Bay Pass Club.

You don’t even have to declare war on Le Chiffre to attend, and you’ll be handed $10,000 gaming money at the door to spend in any reckless manner you choose.

According to Sharon McKenzie, the executive director of the Barrier Island Parks Society, they have much more planned for the evening.

“Not only will we have gaming, but also dancing and dining on Chef Jimmy Searle’s epicurean delights, as well as our famous Boca Grande Fishing Guides Live Fishing Auction,” she said. “We have great silent auction items as well, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to have fun and support the local lighthouse museum and barrier island parks.”

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. when the gaming tables open. If you lose all of your money early in the evening and want more, don’t fret. For just $20 you can get another $10,000. The tables will close at 9 p.m., and the top three gamblers of the evening will win prizes.

The only need for real cash will be for trips to the bar. Checks, cash and credit cards will also be available for the silent auction items.

Cash is preferred at the gaming money “bank,” but McKenzie said they will also be able to accommodate with a credit card machine.

“Whoever wins first place gets to chose from three prizes, second place will get a choice as well,” McKenzie said. “There is also a prize for third place. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

There will be six blackjack tables, a craps table, a roulette wheel and a wheel of fortune.

Silent Auction items include a seaplane ride for four, a week-long stay for five in Chapaqua, N.Y., a Bossa Nova evening for eight including dinner and music, and many others.

McKenzie said she explored several ideas before determining the James Bond theme would be the one for the 2010 Green Gala.

“Every year I always look for a different theme, something that hasn’t been done before or at least hasn’t been done in a while,” she said. “People always talk about the casino nights the childcare center used to have, and they loved it. I thought that would be neat, but what theme would go with that? Because I like nostalgia, more vintage things, I thought this would be fun.”

McKenzie said the Boca Bay Pass Club was a perfect venue for the dine-around event. Not only will the porch and dining room be used, but a tent large enough to hold 400 will be erected on the Pass Club grounds.

“You can eat when you want, drink when you want, dance when you want and game when you want,” she said. “It gives you control over how you want your evening to go.”

The 2010 Green Gala will also include:

• A new 50-50 raffle this year – 50 percent goes to three winners

• The ever-popular “Wine Grab” (at $10 a bottle – it could be worth $100)

• The featured entertainment of the evening will be Saint Tone, a band that has 13 albums out, has toured 16 countries, has five songs licensed to MTV and performed with more than 25 National Acts including Blues Traveler, Sister Hazel, Foreigner and Arlo Guthrie.

Tickets are $100 per person. For more information call the museum at 964-0060. McKenzie said it is best to call before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. and to leave your name and number on the museum answering machine.