The Blues and White Gala is the place to be Saturday, April 18. Beginning at 6 p.m. at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, this is the debut of an annual gala designed to generate scholarship funding for students attending Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
A feature of the gala is musical entertainment by the Billy Price Band, a regional favorite that has not played in the local area for some time. Blues and White Gala Chair and Penn State Fayette Director of Development Lori Omatick said, “Billy Price has a large fan base in Fayette County, so this is a wonderful opportunity for people to put on their dancing shoes and help raise money for scholarships.”
Live auction items are sure to pique the interest of local sports fans. Among the sports packages being auctioned are a Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Dream Package, including four luxury box tickets with pre-game sideline passes; a Pittsburgh Penguins Fan Dream Package, including four premium tickets to a first-round playoff game, meet and greet with Mario Lemieux in his suite prior to the game, and an autographed Lemieux hockey jersey; and a Nittany Lion Fan “Must-Have” Package, including a Penn State football autographed by Coach Joe Paterno.
Other live auction items include a Walt Disney World Yacht Club Resort vacation, Mystic Rock golf and lesson with the resident pro, a Nemacolin Woodlands Resort Getaway Weekend, a Steelers football helmet autographed by Ben Roethlisberger and a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey autographed by Sidney Crosby.
Silent auction items are still coming in, but already include authentic African art and jewelry, Lexus Club Pirate Tickets, a Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre package including dinner, a Uniontown Mall Shopping Spree gift basket and Penn State Football tickets.
Local KDKA-TV sports anchor Bob Pompeani is the gala’s master of ceremonies, while the live auction will be handled by Sotheby’s auctioneer and Penn State alumnus Selby Kiffer. In addition to the auctions and dancing, a highlight of the evening will be when Penn State Fayette honors two “Friends of Penn State Fayette” — Joseph Hardy III and Congressman John Murtha.
Omatick explained the reasoning behind the gala as one of documented need. “Ninety percent of Penn State Fayette students have demonstrated a need for financial aid — with 75 percent of scholarship recipients demonstrating an unmet need. It is important for local Fayette County students to be able to get the high-quality education Penn State offers. The gala is a way for Penn State Fayette to partner with the community to directly help these students. One-hundred percent of the proceeds of this gala will go to students in the form of scholarships this year.” She reported that some of the key sponsors of the gala include Advanced Acoustic Concepts, Ford Business Machines, Joshua and Maria Swimmer, Nemacolin Woodlands/84 Lumber, BAE Systems, Ida M. Procyk, CRH Catering, Foundation Coal and Uniontown Mall.
The Blues and White Gala includes dinner. R.S.V.P.s are being taken through Monday, April 13. To receive an invitation or make reservations, please call (724) 430-4190.