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Annual Fundraiser Held Oct 5th
Posted on Oct 7th, 2019
See all Tom Folger photos at folgerstudios.com
A pink plasticus flamingus, this year’s fundraiser theme, poses for President Kirk Wardlaw as he walks under the sponsor signs hanging at the FOR Community Center pavilion.
It was a hot time as friends and flamingos gathered at the river for the annual Friends of the River San Bernard “Escape to the Tropics” fundraiser, Sat Oct 5th. Because of all the generous sponsors and Phillips 66's $10,000 donation and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company $5,000 donation, FOR can continue their programs planned for this coming year. See Sponsor List. See Sponsor Ads
 Nowhere else but at the FOR “Escape to the Tropics” fundraiser do you get a chance to enjoy a traveling bartender carrying a backpack dispenser serving up shots of Caribbean Rum or Punch to willing participants.
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 Backpacker Chris Goodson dispensed
the first shot to Linda Wright, FOR Director. The bird on her hat acts interested also. Suzanne Goodson, Auction Chair, waits in line.
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 Also making a statement at the fundraiser was a pineapple tree centerpiece with an adorable fruit monkey clinging to its side created by Cathy McDonald and Kenleigh Head.
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 Is this a flamingo dressed as a human or a human dressed as a flamingo? One of them is Sheila Wardlaw and the other Brenda Goolsby. Only a dedicated bird watcher can tell the difference but maybe Mickey Goolsby knows.
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 …or is he too busy trying to win the gun raffle reacheing into the bag fulll of raffle cards held by FOR Director and Gun Raffle Chair Gary Kersh. Looking on is Auction assistant DeDe and Lonnie Truitt. Winners of the Gun Raffle are Fred Kanter and Don Wardlaw.
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 Island girl Madeline stands in front of colorful tropical art designed by Dana Hillis. A few of the hundred plasticus flamingus that dropped in to join the fundraiser can be seen loitering in the background.
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 Helping with the live auction was Miss Lilly, who’s practicing to replace Vanna White someday.
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 Pct 4 County Commissioner Grandpa David Linder holds another “model” granddaughter.
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The “Decorating Divas”, chaired by Ange Ronayne, center, sitting just above the flamingo, picked the theme of the fundraiser this year and coordinated the decorating of the Community Center Pavilion and table decorations. Anyone can participate in this fun volunteer group, and if you do, maybe you’ll get to wear the flamingo costume next.
 When the lid is removed from this table’s center cut-out hole, diners can toss in their left-over pieces of crawfish, chicken, crab, oysters or beer cans without losing any valuable noshing time by getting up to throw in a trash can.
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 Auctioneer Bubba (Darron) Whitton fast-talks the bid for the auction item table. Winning bidder was Doug Finlayson and was donated by State Rep Dennis Bonnen.
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 This “Escape to the Tropics” decorative beach signpost was made by Ken Wright. It shows the distance to the San Bernard River as .00 miles while Tonga is 5,700 miles away.
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The sun sets on another successful FOR "Escape to the Tropics" fundraiser and the event sign says it all!
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