The foundation is holding its third-annual "All About the Bag" purse auction event Thursday, Nov. 4, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Stonewall Manor, 104 Stonewall St., Cartersville. General admission tickets are $25 while VIP tickets are $50; the latter includes reserved seating, entry into the event at 6 p.m., a goodie bag, two cocktail coupons and more. Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served to all attendees, and alcoholic drinks will be for sale.
About 75 purses stuffed with various items will be put up for bids in a silent and live auction. Bags will be paired with skin care products, restaurant gift certificates, a hotel stay, a six-month gym membership, and even items such as a set of tires and a plastic surgery package.
"We probably have less bags to auction this year, but the bags that we're auctioning this year are of higher quality," said Trish Sullivan, who is chairing the event for the foundation. "There was an overabundance last year, and this year, we thought we might let the ladies compete a little bit more -- women like to haggle for what they get. The bags are of higher quality, definitely, and as far as the packages go, I think a lot of the packages that were getting are of a little but more higher quality also. The gift certificates [in the packages] are worth more.
"We'll probably have a little bit for everybody, I'd say $30 up to $500, and that's including the live auction," Sullivan added.
Next month's event, which is likely to have a nearly all-female attendance, is coming a few weeks after the foundation's last fundraiser, which was predominately aimed at the male crowd. August's "Tailgating with the Etowah Scholarship Foundation" drew about 300 attendees, with about three quarters of them men, said Paige Miller, the foundation's executive director.
Miller said that summer event raised an estimated $21,000, about three times what it brought in the previous year and about twice what officials expected it to raise.
"This, we're hoping to have a similar result," Miller said of the purse auction. "At the same time, in years where the economy could be better, it's difficult to really, truly expect that. If we could do at least half that, we would be fine."
"Ideally, around 250 [attending] is what we would expect," she added.
Funds from the August fundraiser and next month's auction will go toward scholarships for local students and foundation operations. In addition to proceeds from the silent and live auction, the latter of which will be emceed by The Tom & Chad Show, which is providing the event's entertainment, attendees can give monetary donations throughout the night. Those collected funds will go toward a "Bag Ladies" scholarship that will go to a local student next summer.
Those wishing to donate to the foundation but cannot make it to next month's event will still have the chance to take home a new bag. The organization will soon be selling $10 raffle tickets for a Louis Vuitton bag valued at more than $800. The raffle will take place at the event.
But Sullivan said those looking for a bag, and a good time, should not miss the auction, adding that those who do attend should come prepared.
"You check in, and you kind of go through and scope out what you want to bid on, you place your bids, and if you don't keep an eye on them and keep bidding on them, someone's going to steal them from you," she said. "We visit, we laugh, we talk and catch up with people we haven't seen in a long time. It's a premiere event to go to, it's for a worthy cause, and it gives us an opportunity to have a fun night out at a low cost for a good cause."
Tickets to "All About the Bag" are available for purchase at the Etowah Scholarship Foundation's office, 104 East Cherokee Ave., Cartersville; from any event committee member or at the studios of AM 1450 WBHF in downtown Cartersville.
For more information on the event, contact the Etowah Scholarship Foundation at 770-382-1757.