Stepping Out

Photo courtesy of the Stephen Grace Band

 

Hear the local Stephen Grace Band at Mukilteo Mardi Gras on Friday, Feb. 3, a Japanese Gulch Group benefit. The group is raising funds to help save another 97 acres of the gulch as parks and open space.

No need to go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year – the party is right here in Mukilteo.

 

Japanese Gulch Group is hosting Mukilteo Mardi Gras from 6 -11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, at Rosehill Community Center to raise funds to help save the Japanese Gulch.

 

The benefit features a dinner, silent and live auctions, live music and dancing. This is the group’s fourth annual benefit.

 

“It’s a fun party theme for February,” said Sheila Countryman-Bean, on the Mardi Gras committee. “We have these fabulous Mardi Gras decorations – we have this big mask, we have beads, all sorts of fun things.”

 

A Cajun-style dinner will be catered by chef Ryan Sturm, formerly of Alligator Soul.

 

“Alligator Soul was a Cajun restaurant that was in Everett for years,” said Arnie Hammerman, JGG boardmember. “It’s very good food.”

 

On the menu: chicken jambalaya, shrimp etoufee, hush puppies, remoulade shrimp, green onion Southern cornbread, sweet potato fries, fried okra with dipping sauce, collard greens, black eyed peas, and red beans and rice.

 

More than 130 items are up for bid in the silent and live auctions, including a wheelbarrow of beer, two rounds of golf, opera tickets, a ride-along with the police chief, ski lessons for six, a latte a day for a year, artwork by local artists, a private wine tasting for 10, an autographed photo of Whitney Ford, Mariners’ tickets, a one-hour massage, and a ranch vacation for two.

 

During the live auction, there will also be an opportunity to bid to “fund-a-need” and donate to a specific cause – such as fencing for a dog park or signage for gulch trails.

 

“We’re still looking for donations, especially vacations,” Countryman-Bean said. “A weekend vacation at Lake Chelan would be greatly appreciated.”

 

Preview, request or donate auction items at the Mukilteo Mardi Gras website:

 http://japanesegulchgroup.maestroweb.com.

 

Music will be provided by the local rock ‘n’ roll group the Stephen Grace Band. The band covers rock from the ’70s including, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles.

 

Funds raised will go toward aiding the city in its efforts to acquire the last 97 acres of undeveloped land in the Japanese Gulch for parks and open space. The city is currently in negotiations with the owner of the property.

 

 Last year, the group’s benefit raised about $50,000, said JJG Director Sabrina Bolieu.

 

“We want it to be a regional park, so anybody from Snohomish County, anywhere, can come here and go walking through there and enjoy the trees and the wilderness and the trails,” Hammerman said.

 

 “If we want to preserve the gulch for public use for generations to come, then everybody needs to support it so that we can make it happen.”

 

Tickets are $65. Limited tickets are available. Purchase tickets online at www.japanesegulch.org.