Tempt Lady Luck when the Scorpion Booster Club brings the action of a Las Vegas casino to Sedona Golf Resort on April 21 from 6-10 p.m. during Viva Las Vegas. The event will act as the club’s largest fundraiser of the year, raising monies for junior high and high school students at Sedona Red Rock High School. The night’s main event will be 11 tables featuring Vegas-style gaming including blackjack, craps, roulette and poker. All of the tables will be manned by professional dealers and additional chips will be available for purchase. And what’s Vegas without a show? Elvis impersonator Chance Tinder will perform at 7:30 and 9 p.m. There will also be a DJ, heavy hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction and a raffle. Tickets to the event are $50, which includes $250 worth of gaming chips ($200 for tickets purchased at the door) and a drink ticket (a cash bar offering beer, wine and spirits will be available).
Shannon Jennings, president of the booster club, says organizers hope to raise $40,000 that night. The money will be used to purchase music risers, instruments, computers, tablets and athletic equipment. It will also be used to provide professional development training for teachers. “The Scorpion Booster Club isn’t just about athletics,” says Shannon, who has sons in seventh and eighth grade. “It supports curricular and extracurricular activities. Without the booster club, there would be no new basketballs, no new computers. We support the prom and the eighth-grade promotional dance. We purchase books for the library and give out teacher-appreciation gifts.”
Winning gamblers will receive raffle tickets. At 9:30 p.m., raffle winners will be drawn and silent auction winners will be announced. There is no dress code for Viva Las Vegas, but it is only open to ages 21 and older. A list of taxi services will be handed out that evening to make sure everyone parties responsibly. Shannon says the booster club, with its 14-member board of directors, hopes to sell 300 tickets.
“We rely on the community to support all 536 students at the high school and junior high school and make their school experience well rounded,” says Shannon. “This isn’t about the parents. This is about the community helping raise money for our students.” – Erika Ayn Finch. Photo courtesy of Chance Tinder.
SEDONA CALENDAR: Events, activities, shows, happenings
