LAKE COUNTY — “Obsidian Butterfly,” a fire dancing team from Sacramento, will highlight an upcoming fundraiser to be held locally in benefit of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). “Light the Night Luau” will feature fiery entertainment as well as an authentic Hawaiian buffet.
Light the Night Luau, being held in conjunction with the society”s annual “Light the Night Walk” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 5 at the Loch Lomond Roadhouse. Guests of all ages are welcome; however, those younger than 21 years of age must leave after the fire dance show.
Each year, in communities across the United States and Canada, teams of families, friends, co-workers and local and national corporations come together to raise funds for LLS”s Light the Night Walk events and bring help and hope to people battling blood cancers.
Event is being coordinated locally by Sarah Focose, who found inspiration participating in another annual Lake County fundraiser. “I was originally involved with the Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society. I participated in that event three years in a row and was really moved by how many different kinds of people came together in support of friends, family and loved ones,” she said. “In doing some research online I came across the Light the Night Web site and found out there was a local chapter.”
Focose continued, “I had a childhood friend who had leukemia and vividly remember his struggles. After reading some inspirational stories about some of their patients, I decided this was the charity I wanted to focus on.”
Focose said she held a smaller event for the LLS last year. She said she wanted to heighten the event and added entertainment to this year”s fundraiser. “This year we brought in the dancers so people will have a reason to stay. It will be a luau so people can come in bikinis, grass skirts, whatever they feel is appropriate,” she said. “We really appreciate the Loch Lomond Property Owners Association opening up their recreation area for our use in putting on this event. It is a comfortable, grassy picnic area, which should create the perfect atmosphere for our fire dancers. These dancers are really awesome and they know how to deliver an exciting show.”
The event will include and all-you-can-eat authentic Hawaiian buffet. “It”s rare to find this kind of food in Lake County and with the entertainment, the price can”t be beat, plus we are raising money for a cause that affects our entire society,” Focose said. “Cures for leukemia and other blood cancers are long overdue and these types of fundraisers bring us all closer to a cure.”
Focose said she hopes to raise enough local interest to one day bring the Light the Night Walk to Lake County. Advance ticket purchase is highly recommended in order to ensure that enough food is prepared to serve all those in attendance. Pre-sale tickets are priced at $25 apiece and are available at Griffin”s Furniture and Silk”s Bar and Grill in Clearlake; or call Sarah Focose at 350-5620. A limited number of tickets, priced at $30 apiece, will be available at the door on a first come, first served basis. Ticket purchase includes entry for the door prize, which is a two night stay with dinner and breakfast at Robinson Rancheria Casino. Additionally, there will be a 50/50 raffle. Loch Lomond Roadhouse will offer specialty drinks with a portion of the proceeds directed toward the fundraising effort.
