Everyone has their vacation fantasy, whether it's taking the perfect fly-fishing trip in the Copper Basin, visiting a winery in the Napa Valley, flying over the Sawtooth Mountains or running off to Malibu for a week in the middle of winter.
This weekend, lovers of the Sawtooth Valley will have a chance to fulfill those dreams while enhancing the Sawtooth National Recreation Area by participating in the Sawtooth Society's annual dinner auction.
The Sagebrush Soiree, now a tradition spanning more than a decade, is a public event that brings in upwards of $90,000 a year for the society. The group's mission is to preserve the fish, wildlife and scenic and recreational values of the SNRA.
Participants can bid on everything from a pristine 1920s toilet to a permanent buoy at Redfish Lake, the latter of which society executive director O'Malley said he expected to be extremely popular.
"You just can't get those," he said. "There's a waiting list of 70 people, and people have been on the waiting list for over 30 years without moving up."
Other auction items include a two-day Napa Valley wine tasting package for four, a stay for two at a guest apartment in Malibu this winter, a flight for two over the Sawtooth Mountains in a Cessna 180 and a trip for four to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland this spring.
All funding goes to projects such as the society's accessible-trails inventory. Some of the proceeds will also go toward educational programs, O'Malley said.
The society has invested $500,000 in 132 projects since its formation in 1997.
The event will take place Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Mitchell Ranch near Fisher Creek. Tickets are $200 each and can be obtained by calling 721-2909. Those who cannot attend but who wish to place absentee bids can do so by calling the same number.
Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com
