Long Marine Lab's annual 'Whale of an Auction' set for June 14

The Friends of Long Marine Lab will hold a "Whale of an Auction," the group's popular annual fundraiser, on Friday, June 14. The event will take place in the Porter College Dining Hall on the UC Santa Cruz campus, starting at 6 p.m.

A social and gastronomic occasion as well as an auction, the evening includes a full dinner buffet, champagne and caviar tasting, cheese and salmon tables, wine, and music. The event raises funds to support Long Marine Laboratory's public education programs.

Tickets for the evening are $50 for members, $60 for nonmembers (if purchased by June 7), and $65 at the door. Sponsored tables of 10 are $800. To purchase tickets, please contact Teri Sigler at (831) 459-5828.

Auctioneer Karen Cogswell will lead the silent and live auction. Many exciting and unique items will be up for bid, including field trips with researchers, a Santa Cruz Wineries winetasting with limousine ride, a clambake for 20 on the beach at the Crow's Nest, a children's birthday party at the Seymour Center, trips to exotic locales, art, and jewelry. Surfing lessons, wetsuits, surf boards, and an electric bike are also among the items to be auctioned.

The Friends of Long Marine Lab welcomes contributions of auction items and services. To donate items, please contact Lisa M. Rose at (831) 459-3694 or Ruth Elder at (831) 459-2784. To volunteer, contact Ruth Elder at (831) 459-2784.

All education programs and daily operations of the Seymour Center at Long Marine Lab depend on community support. Contributions to the Whale of an Auction help bring marine science alive for the community.

The Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Lab is dedicated to educating people about the role scientific research plays in the understanding and conservation of the world’s oceans. Long Marine Lab is a research facility of the Institute of Marine Sciences at UCSC.