ESTEVAN — Another successful fundraiser is in the books for the Estevan Humane Society after this weekend.
The annual Whiskers and Wine Gala attracted about 170 people, who had a chance to enjoy a great night out while also supporting the local non-kill animal shelter and its residents.
The festive event was held at the Estevan Exhibition Hall on Feb. 10 with entertainment by Weyburn's American Idol participant Brayden King and his band.
"Brayden King did so good. People were up dancing all night, he kept everybody's attention to the very end. He was really personable, he was chatting with everybody after," shared shelter board president Tayja Lakusta.
She noted that King also liked the cause. During the performance, he said he and the band got 50/50 tickets to support the Estevan animal shelter.
The night also saw cocktails and supper, raffles, and silent and live auctions.
"The newest thing that we added this year that went over really well was a Paws and Pours wine pull. We had local individuals and businesses donate bottles of wine, and we would hide the wine in bags, so nobody knew what wine was in what bag. It ranged from $15 bottles of wine up to $100 bottles of wine. And they would pull a card and whatever card number you pulled would be the wine bag that you would get. It was just luck of the draw," Lakusta said.
Another addition was a slideshow sharing stories, pictures and videos of shelter animals in their daily lives. Lakusta said the humane society used to do it, but it was on pause for a while.
"It went over really well. People, I think, really understood the issue we are facing seeing some of the animals we have in our care, some long-term animals," Lakusta said.
"The time and the effort it took by a few parties to get that put together is unreal. But it came together, and it looked awesome. I think people really enjoyed it and were able to see the plead and the plight that we're in on a daily basis and the things that we need. It really helped push our message across better," she added.
"We're hoping that slideshow pleading for Maggie to find her forever home after almost two years in our care is working. We had a couple of applications come in for her. So, if that slideshow got Maggie a home, it was worth every minute that it took to get that done."
While final numbers weren't in at press time, Lakusta said the support in the form of donations and bidding was "amazing" and made for a really successful event.
"Raffle items this year for the silent and live auctions were our best yet. Companies and individuals put together baskets. Quilts were donated, paintings were donated. I think this was our best set of baskets and individualized donations that I remember," she said.
"People were very generous in bidding on the items as well. It was really well received.
"I'd like to thank our amazing community. None of this happens without our community support. Pulling off the event without a hitch, people buying tickets to support us, people donating items and all their time and volunteering. It's really a community effort. We just pull it together.
"We could not do this without everybody in our corner helping us achieve what we do," Lakust concluded.
Animals, available for adoption through Estevan Humane Society, can be found on their website at estevanhumanesociety.ca and on their Facebook page.
