Margarita fundraiser set Saturday

COEUR d'ALENE - Get whisked away to a tequila paradise this Saturday during the Hayden Lake Rotary Club's Evening in Margaritaville fundraiser, taking place from 6-9 p.m. Saturday at the Hayden Airport Resort Aviation.

"It it shaping up to be an another amazing event," said Cynthia Reyburn, past president and event chairman. "And the only party like it in the Northwest."

The evening will include a tequila tasting, featuring more than 50 tequilas and a margarita mix-off contest with five local "celebrities" offering tastes of their secret recipes. Modern country-rock band Diamond Creek will be playing classic rock and Jimmy Buffett-style songs as guests enjoy a limbo contest, food, prizes and a main raffle of a home gym that includes an elliptical machine.

"Our funds support our international efforts toward polio eradication, clean water, and literacy," Reyburn said.

The majority of the club's funds go toward local groups, such as St. Vincent de Paul, Hospice House, Hayden Senior Center, Hayden Meadows Elementary School, Special Needs Recreation, Children's Village and other social service groups. The club also sponsors an outstanding Coeur d'Alene High School student each month, supporting excellence in education.

Reyburn said two main causes or organizations benefit from the fundraiser annually. One beneficiary chosen this year is Newby-ginnings, which offers a wide variety of assistance for any active-duty or retired service person and their dependents.

"They will be opening our event by providing the incredible Combat Riders, a group of 12 veterans riding their Harleys with flags flying," Reyburn said.

The other organization to benefit from the event is Parents Reaching Out to Parents (PROPS), which offers support to parents and caregivers of children with special needs.

"Often the caregivers need as much support as the patients themselves, and we tend to forget that children with special needs grow to adults with needs," she said. "The caregivers spend their lifetime often with little respite."

Tickets to the Evening in Margaritaville are $40 and include entry, tastings, and food. Hayden Airport Resort Aviation is located at 11101 Airport Road.

For information, contact Reyburn at 659-2159 or [email protected]