The Battle Ground Rotary Club is hosting its ever-popular Festival of Wreaths and Wine Online Auction and Evening Event on Dec. 2 at the Battle Ground Community Center.
“This is a two-pronged event fundraiser for Battle Ground Rotary, and we take the funds and spend them on the community and Rotary International initiatives,” organizer Becky Hanenkrat said. “We focus on many different types of things in the community like physical therapy, reading for kids, healthcare and food.”
The first prong is the online auction, which opens on Wednesday, Nov. 29, with wreaths, gift baskets, services and experiences.
“This is the fifth year of it,” Hanenkrat said. “It started out as just a wreath raffle. The second year, it was a live event.”
The third year, COVID hit, so the Rotary shifted to an online event, and the organization decided to keep it going.
The Rotary Club put together 25 wreaths and will display them at the Battle Ground Community Center on Dec. 1.
“Each one is a work of art,” co-organizer Dan Hanenkrat, Becky’s husband, said.
The live event will start at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 2, and local musician Ricky Lee Jackson will provide the music for the event. Tickets are $35 and can be bought at battlegroundrotary.org. People can also register for the online auction for free, as well.
Auction items include baskets for date nights, the wreathes, wine baskets from area and state wineries, flowers, dinner and a night at the Ilani Hotel, spring yard cleanup and much more.
“Lots of restaurants and organizations have contributed to creating things that are fun to do, and we have packed these into baskets,” Dan Hanenkrat said.
There will also be merchandise, quilts, pictures, handmade paintings and jewelry for sale.
At the event, there will be a spaghetti dinner and a wine ring toss where, for $5, people get a chance to win wine. There will also be a 50/50 raffle that ends at 7:30 p.m., and the evening ends at 8:30.
“It’s a fun evening and a great time out,” Becky said. “We really set out to fill a space in the area for a great holiday event, and all the money we save goes to a great cause.
The Hanenkrats said this event occupies a lot of their time as it is a year-long process. The Rotary gathers and thanks sponsors to help put on the event, while other members also help carry out the event.
“Club members are business owners as well and help continue,” Becky said. “We also all get together to decorate wreaths, and then all Rotary members are on deck to make it the best experience for people at the event.”
Dan added typically, they expect to have about 180 people attend, and up to 30 Rotary members help out with the event.
