Patti McGuire, our Gala Chair, captured it best, “I have lived in Anchorage for more than 30 years and have never been to such an event. It will remain the talk of the town until next year at this time.

And it was the talk of the town. Darl Schaaff told me his cell phone was ringing constantly the morning after with colleagues wondering what had happened the night before as they were hearing from attendees who were gushing about the event.  A Wells Fargo Community Affairs executive visiting from San Francisco told me she had never seen anything like it, as did most of the guests I spoke with on that very special night.

Darl’s team transformed a warehouse into a magical cirque-themed extravaganza. The aerial performers dazzled the audience as they performed their acrobatic, athletic performance with sensuality and grace and a bit of an edge. It was perfect—I watched the audience watching and they were not talking, they were enthralled. The live auction items included items unlike any ever seen in Anchorage—a new Mercedes E350 sedan, an African safari package via Emirates Airlines, a private jet trip, Alaska Native masks, Tahitian pearls, Ultima Thule Lodge adventure, to name a few.

And, while we still have some auditing and book work to do, preliminary totals indicate that we grossed around $585,000!