The Lewis and Clark Foundation's annual Trail Mixer on Nov. 18 at the Mansfield Convention Center features some intriguing packages up for auction, plus entertainment and food.
It's a fundraiser for the foundation, which uses the money for the Preserve the Trail project. The project is working to preserve the view from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, save a vitally important stretch of waterfront for the River's Edge Trail and maintain public access in the area.
Enjoy a buffet-style dinner and complimentary wine at the each table. Doors open and the silent auction begins at 5 p.m. Dinner begins at 6.
David Goodman is the auctioneer and entertainer for the evening.
Tickets cost $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Tables of eight cost $240. Tickets are available at Kaufman's and the Portage Cache Store located in the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
For more information, call 791-7732 or visit the auction Web site, http:/thetrailmixer.cmarket.com.
Here's a sampling of the items up for auction.
Sip-N-Dip Swim Experience
Make a splash at the Sip-N-Dip Lounge as mermaid or merman for an audience of eight of your friends, who get to watch your water ballet through the glass windows.
The lucky swimmer will be given the opportunity to be fitted into the Sip-N-Dip mermaid or merman swim gear. The group of eight will receive special reserved seating in the lounge, complimentary drinks, and hors d'oeuvres.
The package includes a deluxe room for two and a full-service breakfast in Clark and Lewie's Restaurant.
UM Grizzly Game Package
It's almost impossible to find Grizzly tickets and a place to stay on a UM home game weekend, but not for a lucky bidder at the Trail Mixer.
A group of four will enjoy great seats for the game and two rooms with king size beds in Missoula. Spend game day with the UM's athletic director and tour Griz facilities as an added bonus. Feast on a meal in the Grizzly Scholarship Association tailgate area and enjoy lunch or dinner at a popular Missoula restaurant.
Instant wine cellar
Collect more than 50 bottles of fine wine from all over the world. Each bottle is tagged with a personal note from the donor.
To toast the new acquisitions, eight bottles will be set aside for a private wine tasting for 12 with a local wine expert in the winning bidder's home. The wine tasting includes catered appetizers and desserts specifically selected to complement the wine and a string quartet for entertainment.
Experience a true Chippewa-Cree powwow
This package allows a party of six to experience an authentic Chippewa-Cree powwow. Tribal elder Videl Stump will explain the powwow, contests, traditional giveaway ceremony, honoring ceremony and dances. Watch a traditional Native American gambling game and learn about the traditional, fancy shawl, chicken dance, sneak-up, crow-hop and grass dances.
Elegant evening of music and dining at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
A group of 12 will have an evening of gastronomical delight with two local chefs. Chef Sedgie Davis, former chef of the Meadow Lark Country Club and Sedgie's Restaurant, and Chef Harold Goode, from Goode's Q and Bayou Grill, will prepare a six-course meal at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
After dinner, enjoy a private concert at the center's theater with the Chinook Winds quintet.
Eastern Montana safari
The group of four will enjoy a safari in eastern Montana. The American Prairie Foundation is working to acquire enough private land, that when combined with adjacent public lands, will preserve a prairie ecosystem reminiscent what of Lewis and Clark experienced.
The group will be led by tour guide Randy Gray, American Prairie Foundation managing director and former Great Falls mayor.
Gray will host an interpretive auto tour of the reserve and highlight projects, wildlife and points of historical significance. The safari also will include a time warp back to the age of dinosaurs with a tour the Dinosaur Museum in Malta.
Romantic winter getaway
The winning bidder and guest will be flown in a private plane from Great Falls to Bozeman, where they will spend the first evening at the historic Gallatin Gateway Inn, nestled between Bozeman and Big Sky.
The getaway includes use of an SUV to travel to the Lone Mountain Ranch for a day of cross-country skiing. That evening, stay at the Gallatin River Lodge in a cozy room with a fireplace and jacuzzi tub. Also included are a dinner and breakfast for two.
New York weekend culture fix
The New York experience for two begins at the Hilton New York with a three-night stay. The Hilton New York is close to famous landmarks as Radio City Music Hall, Museum of Modern Art, Fifth Avenue shopping, Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Broadway and Times Square.
This package includes two orchestra or front mezzanine seats to the bidder's choice of one Broadway show and a three-course dinner at New York's famous restaurant, the Zagat-rated Tavern on the Green.
Ultimate NASCAR experience
The high bidder and a lucky friend will enjoy two NASCAR Sprint Cup tickets, plus M&M's racing gear. Choose from either reserved-seating Daytona grandstand tickets or grandstand tickets plus a cold pass to your choice of any one of five other races listed on the Web site. A cold pass includes authorized access to the track, the garage area and the pits up to one hour before the race begins.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Resort Stay
The winning bidder and seven guests will relax on a private balcony over the Pacific at the presidential suite at the exclusive Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort and Spa in Cabo San Lucas. Two roundtrip tickets to Cabo San Lucas are included.
