A Night of PossAbilities

April 10, 2018 at 7:45 PM

Your personal timeline.

If you haven’t snagged one of the 300 tickets to this year’s PossAbilities spring fundraiser by now, marketing and events coordinator Stacy Shones advises you not to wait.

"We’re hoping to sell out this year," Shones said. "We’ve gotten 100 RSVPs before even sending out invitations."

Look for this Night of PossAbilities to hit many of the same points as in years past. There will be craft beer and wine tasting, raffles and auctions, and entertainment—all benefiting children and adults with disabilities in Rochester.

"We’ve added so much spunk and new energy," Shones said. "We’re hoping that is evident and touches everybody."

If you haven’t gone to the fundraiser before, we put together a timeline of all the ‘possibilities’ you’ll have to support the organization.

5:30 p.m.:As soon as you walk in the door, grab a glass of craft beer or wine, then head for the raffles. There are four this year—the Diamond Raffle, where you can win $3,000 in jewelry with one $20 ticket, the World of Wines Raffle, which gives you a shot at 12 bottles of wine for $20 a pop, and a prize each from Forager Brewery and Kinney Creek Brewery, at $10 a ticket. There are a limited number of tickets for the raffles and when they’re gone, they’re gone—so grab one (or two, or 12) early on.

6 p.m.:Show off your raffle numbers (decorated by members of PossAbilities) as you head over to the wall of wines. Each bottle is wrapped up, and one of the 50 is extra fancy (read: expensive). You can test your luck for $20 per bottle.

6:30 p.m.:If you haven’t done so yet, it’s time to browse the silent auction. There will be about 40 items for sale, some made by PossAbilities members. The silent auction technically closes at 8 p.m., but you won’t have much time to look once the program really begins—so place your bids now.

7 p.m.:Dinner is served! Imbibe even more wine and craft beer (courtesy of Bent Paddle Brewing Co. in Duluth and Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. in Decorah). And definitely hit up that dessert bar.

7:15 p.m.:The first speaker from PossAbilities will begin nowish. Over the course of the evening, you’ll hear from several PossAbilities members and beneficiaries, as well as a unique musical act—a participant who is blind and autistic, but sings and plays the piano beautifully.

8 p.m.:The silent auction is over, but the live auction starts now. And this is where the really heavy-duty stuff comes out. There are 10 lots total, including a getaway to Bluefin Bay, tickets to see the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan in concert, a ‘personal chef package’ from Canadian Honker’s Chef Seth, and passes to see Jimmy Fallon on the "Tonight Show" (as well as plane tickets, so you can get there).

8:20 p.m.:After the auction, if you have extra cash on hand, consider donating it to this year’s Special Appeal. They’re updating the kitchen areas and several doors in PossAbilities to make them wheelchair-accessible.

9 p.m.:The evening should be wrapping up, but there’s one more chance to do good before the night is out. The centerpieces at each of the tables will be made by members of PossAbilities. Fond of yours? Make a donation at the end of the night, and you can take it home.

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A Night of PossAbilities will return April 27 at Canadian Honker events at Apache.

Tickets are available online at possabilities.org. $75 each.