Holly Eve shines in hard times

SANDPOINT — Holly Eve began as a small fundraiser, when Marilyn Sabella spearheaded an effort that raised a couple thousand dollars for the Schweitzer Alpine Racing School.

Twenty-nine years later, Sabella is still at the helm of the event, which now drums up about $60,000 annually to support local arts and community service organizations. In total, Holly Eve has raised nearly $1.2 million over its three-decade run.

Dubbed “The official start of the Sandpoint holiday season,” Holly Eve is a gala that never grows old. The night starts with complimentary champagne or sparkling cider and hors d’oeuvres from 18 local restaurants. Despite recent changes in the roster of Sandpoint-area eateries, the number of participants remains high, according to Sabella.

“There has been nice stability there and I was delighted by that,” she said. “We’ve lost a couple of restaurants, sadly, to closures, but there were new restaurants who wanted to join us.”

A big attraction for Sandpoint chefs, she added, is that Holly Eve is “an opportunity for restaurateurs to show off their finest hors d’oeuvres right before the holiday season.”

This year’s event will feature entertainment from the time the doors open, as members of the Sandpoint High School Men’s Choir and Performing Choir serenade arriving guests with carols, followed by on-stage performances from the Sandpoint Youth Orchestra and Danceworks.

“This is the second year for the string orchestra — last year we featured them in their world premier,” Sabella said. “And Danceworks is a tradition at Holly Eve. We just have to have those fabulous ladies tapping on stage.”

Rounding out the evening’s entertainment will be the friendly rivalry that surrounds the live auction, which, coupled with silent auction items, fuels the Holly Eve fundraising engine. One of the biggest challenges this season was to maintain the sizzle associated with the live auction offerings while also keeping the current economic environment in mind.

“We’re presenting a combination of fun and fantasy items, but also a lot of items that will really come in handy,” Sabella said.

A new inclusion this year is the donation of labor by members of the local firefighters union, a group that includes qualified electricians, masons, plumbers and woodworkers.

“That’s amazing, because you could have them do something incredibly intricate or just have them come and rake leaves and change the batteries in your smoke alarms,” the event organizer said.

The Sandpoint Fire Department has donated a vintage leather fireman’s helmet adorned with both the original and current department insignia, as well as a birthday party for 10, complete with rides on the old Sandpoint Fire Department classic engine and a chance to shoot water from a fire hose. The birthday bash originally was conceived as a children’s auction item, but a subsequent conversation with friends convinced Sabella that playing fireman had an appeal that crossed age barriers.

“The piece de resistance is that the firemen actually bake your birthday cake,” she said.

How are the firemen at cake baking, anyway?

“We’re going to find out,” Sabella answered.

Another new addition to the live auction items is a transferable ski pass from Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

“This could be a good way for a group of friends to get back on the mountain, because multiple people can use it — even on the same day,” Sabella said.

Other live auction items for this year include:

• Vacation packages in Mexico and Hawaii

• A hayride for eight from Stillwater Ranch, with a three-course dinner by Skeyes the Limit Catering

• A two-night stay for four people in the Pennington-Kelly Penthouse, above Ivano’s Ristorante, paired with dinner for four at Ivano’s

• A Super Bowl party hosted by Bob Boyle and Bev Kee, featuring hors d’oeuvres, a full buffet, drinks and the big game on a giant flat-screen television in the Ivano’s deli

In the past, an auction item that has generated heated bidding has been the Shawnodese Lake Cruise for up to 29 people, with live music and a mixed case of wine from Bill Jones Distributing.

“And there are several people who always want the ‘Clean the Castle and Deck the Halls’ package,” Sabella said. “Who wouldn’t?  You get your carpet cleaned, your windows washed, a Christmas tree, personal shopping and a tray of Christmas cookies. So then, you can just curl up with your cat and a good book.”     

Times may be tough, but you wouldn’t know it from the number of silent auction items donated to this year’s Holly Eve gala. A record 150 different options include the largest variety of art in the event’s history, jewelry, practicalities such as seasonal vehicle maintenance service packages and “gift baskets galore,” Sabella noted.

With almost 30 years of hosting Sandpoint’s consummate Christmas party to her credit, the organizer was asked if she ever gets bored with the process.

“Holly Eve could never be boring, because it’s so all-consuming,” she said. “And it annually reaffirms my belief that this is an extraordinary community. Even in hard times, people continue to give what they can.”

Funds raised from the live and silent auction items will benefit The Festival at Sandpoint, Community Cancer Services, Bonner Community Hospice, Pend Oreille Arts Council and the Panida Theater.

The gala will be held Sat., Nov. 21, in the handicap-accessible top-floor auditorium of the Sandpoint Business & Events Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with entertainment starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person, available at Eve’s Leaves, Panhandle State Bank and the Festival at Sandpoint office in the Old Power House building.

• When: Sat., Nov. 21

• Where: Sandpoint Business & Events Center

• Time: Doors open at 6:30 p.m., entertainment at 7:30 p.m. with live auction to follow.

• Tickets: $25 per person, available at Eve’s Leaves, Panhandle State Bank and The Festival at Sandpoint office.