WALLOWA — Evening Under the Stars, the largest annual fund-raiser benefiting curricula for Wallowa schools, is ready to roll for the eighth time, the evening of Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Tamkaliks grounds in Wallowa. In the event of inclement weather, the event moves indoors to the Beth Johnson Room at Wallowa Elementary School.

The night, which features a catered barbecued pork loin dinner which also includes rolls, salad, potatoes and dessert, begins with a 5 p.m. social hour, followed by dinner at 6 p.m., and a live auction at 7 p.m. Wallowa music students, led by instructor Anna Shike, will perform during the evening. Tickets, priced at $20 per person or $50 for a family of any size, are available at the Blonde Strawberry and Wallowa Library, or from any Wallowa FFA member.

Friends of the Wallowa School District, the group formerly known as Friends of the Wallowa School Foundation, organizes Evening Under the Stars. According to Friends secretary Marilyn Hulse, in past years the event has raised anywhere from around $10,000 to $15,000, although the top end of that range was reached only once, in 2008, the event’s inaugural year.

Hulse said most of the money from Evening Under the Stars goes to support the Wallowa FFA program, and for the second straight year organizers are tapping the auctioneering talents of Dave Yost, former longtime advisor of Joseph FFA.

Evening Under the Stars also includes a silent auction. A total of approximately 75 items will be offered through the two auctions.

According to Hulse, Friends of the Wallowa School District is a 501(c)3 nonprofit pursuing a different mission from the Wallowa School Foundation, which funds scholarships for Wallowa High School grads. She says it therefore made sense to quit operating under the Foundation’s 501(c)3 so people wouldn’t confuse the two groups’ activities.

“We just do curriculum,” Hulse said.

For more information about Evening Under the Stars, contact Hulse at 541-886-4701.