West Liberty High School was alive on Thursday night, March 7, as hundreds of people showed up for the Night of Nites.
This fundraiser was put together by the Fine Arts Boosters and offered an evening of dinner theater, raising nearly $10,000 for the students.
It was a great day to be a part of the West Liberty community if you enjoy food and music. The gymnasium was decked out with black tablecloths and sparkly centerpieces.
The seats were filled with friends and families who came out to support the talented young music students.
The centerpieces were created by the sculpture classes with the guidance of art teacher Morgan Forbes. Many of those pieces will be on display at Brick Street Gallery soon.
The art students have created some magnificent sculptures that deserve to be seen on tables and in galleries.
The meal was served and eaten to the sound of the JV jazz band. The student musicians certainly provided a marvelous soundscape as onlookers bopped their heads to the beat. Potatoes and green beans disappeared into smiling mouths.
When the audience was warmed up, the mariachi band came out. They can make a big sound for only six people, and they got the crowd all wound up.
Then came the vocal soloists, who calmed the place down again to get ready for dessert. Four songs were beautifully sung by vocalists Jaylyn Burroughs, Isabella Lugo, Victoria Machado and Alyssa Stagg.
By then, everyone was ready for dessert, and the options were staggering. Over two dozen desserts were available in the dessert auction, ranging from cakes and pies to cookies and pastries.
Many were made by local professionals, and many others were made by local people with serious baking skills. All of them looked delicious.
The first cake sold for a reasonable price of $40, but the bidding quickly got very irrational as generous people got a little crazy with the checkbook.
On one occasion the bidding was driven by a baby, whose grandfather put the auction number in the little tyke’s hand and popped him into the air to bid. The highest selling cake went for $410 and involved the bidding baby.
Many other desserts landed in the $200 range. Reports from dessert eaters were overwhelmingly positive, and it was all for a good cause.
When all the desserts were sold, the varsity jazz band performed. These student musicians are the cream of the crop and their soulful tunes certainly helped with digestion.
Fine Arts Booster Chair Mary Jo Lugo took a moment to thank everyone who came out and participated in making this night possible.
“When I first started organizing this I planned on about half as many people,” Lugo said. “It warms my heart that all of you showed up for these kids. When they say it takes a village, it truly does.”
For the rest of the evening, the crowd moved into the auditorium. The Part Time Simpletons Improv Comedy Troupe, led by Dorianne Rees, got the crowd laughing.
These hilarious youngsters had the audience cracking up. If you missed it, they’ll be on again Friday, March 29 at 7 p.m.
The penultimate performance was Skylar Jackson’s flute solo. Her fashion sense was a nice complement to her top-notch flute skills. Ashley Smith accompanied her on the piano.
The night ended with a few songs from the show choir, Voices Unlimited. As always, they dazzled their audience with raw talent tempered by hard work.
It was a great night overall and we can be sure to see another dinner theater event in the future.
In addition to the tickets, the event also received sponsorships from a number of local businesses.
The list of sponsors included All American Concrete, Martin Agency insurance Services, Cardinal Graphics, Nicole Rock Dance Studio, MidWestOne bank, Muscatine County Fair, Jeff’s Market, West Liberty State Bank, West Liberty Locker and Processing, Wertzbaugher Services, Craig Jones Trucking, Iowa City Orthodontics, Jeremy and Shelly Sweeting, and Eastern Iowa Auction.