Gail Swart plays piano at the Enterprise Community Congregational Church during it’s Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, on Dec. 24, 2021. It was her last public performance before she died Jan. 28. The annual Gail’s Holiday Evening will take place Dec. 7-8 at Wallowa Lake Lodge.

WALLOWA LAKE — Once again, Christmas caroles, holiday aires, a dinner and a scholarship to raise money for scholarships will take place at the Wallowa Lake Lodge.

This year’s event, dubbed “Gail’s Holiday Evening,” will be Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7-8, to raise money for PEO scholarships for women. More than $8,500 was raised at the 2023 event held in honor of Gail Swart, a local concert pianist who highlighted the event for at least 25 years, said Wendy McCulloch, the event’s organizer. Swart died in early 2022 after being in the PEO for 67 years.

“It’s an evening without Gail, but she’s in everybody’s hearts and minds,” McCulloch said.

She said the doors will open at 4:30 p.m., with Christmas caroling starting at 5 p.m. A dinner of cranberry pork loin, Cornish game hen or stuffed red peppers will be offered at 5:30 p.m. Dinner tickets are $50 per person.

A raffle to raise money for the scholarships offered to women by the Philanthropic Educational Organization will be held after dinner Sunday. Tickets for the raffle are $5 each or five for $20. The 50 items up for raffle will range in value from $25-$600. Tickets for the raffle may be purchased at the PEO table at the Jingle Thru Joseph bazaar at the Joseph Community Events Center or at the dinner.

Following dinner will be an auction of pies donated by the Blythe Cricket and Dog Spot.

Then there will be more Christmas music by local musicians for about an hour, McCulloch said.

For more information, email sallybfarms@eoni.com.