News

6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Washington Civic Center, Washington, NC

Get ready to shuck oysters under the stars, sample some craft beer, dance the night way, and pick up some great items from our auction at Sound Rivers’ 37th-annual FUNdraiser (emphasis on FUN) on Nov. 16!

LOCATION

On the grounds of the Washington Civic Center, 108 Gladden St., Washington.

SCHEDULE OVERVIEW

5 p.m. VIP section opens

6 p.m. Oyster Roast opens for all other ticket-holders

7 p.m. Live music starts

8:30 p.m. Auction closes

DETAILS

ALL TICKET HOLDERS:

All Oyster Roast VIP guests, sponsors and General Admission guests will check in inside the Civic Center this year!

There will be a clearly marked entrance to the meeting room on the parking-lot side of the Civic Center; TWO lines will extend from this entrance, down the walkway toward West Second Street. One line is for VIP guests and sponsors; the other is for General Admission. There will be signs posted and a volunteer available to direct you to where you need to be!

VIP guests and major sponsors have access to the Oyster Roast at 5 p.m.; General Admission guests at 6 p.m. Entry is not allowed prior to the times designated for ticketholders.

Volunteers will be checking in guests at tables in the Civic Center and looking up ticketholders by the last name and first initial of the person who purchased the tickets (even if that person is not with your party). If someone bought tickets for you, or sold tickets to you, please be able to provide the last name and first initial of the person who originally purchased the tickets.

Ticket-holders will check in and receive their wrist bands in the meeting room, then grab their complimentary cup at a table in the gallery, just outside the meeting room door. Check in, take a stroll through the auction, then head outside to eat oysters under the stars!

Chili and Chowder

Ground beef chili, vegetarian chili and seafood chowder, along with rice and condiments, will be available inside the Civic Center at the back of the ballroom.

Butter and Cocktail Sauce

Melted butter and cocktail sauce for oyster-dipping will be available outside, right next to the tables.

Beverages

Sodas and water will be located in the Civic Center ballroom, near the kitchen area.

Beer will be located on the grounds, just outside the gallery entrance to the Civic Center (between the parking lot and the oyster tables). This year’s craft beer has been donated by Two Rivers Alehouse, Tarboro Brewing Company and Mother Earth Brewing! Make sure to thank them for their donations!

Wine: We do not sell wine at the Oyster Roast. However, you are welcome to bring your own. We highly recommend purchasing from Wine & Words, located half a block away from the Oyster Roast at 220 W. Main St. in Washington. Mary Mehlich, owner of Wine & Words, is an Oyster Roast sponsor, and Oyster Roast attendees will get a 10% discount on wine from the shop on the day of the event.

Live Music

Back for a second year, Chuck Phillips has a new iteration of the Chuck Phillips Band. Accompanied by guitarist and vocalist J.B. Mayes and drummer Annie Slye, this trio will begin playing your favorite classics starting at 7 p.m. in the Civic Center. A Washington favorite, Chuck and the band are guaranteed to get you out on the dance floor!

Online Auction

This year’s auction is VIRTUAL (as we have held it for the past two years!). On Oyster Roast night, we will have auction items on display in the gallery of the Civic Center.  Bidding opened on Nov. 2 and will continue until  8:30 p.m. on the night of the Oyster Roast, Nov. 16. YOU CAN BID HERE!

If you think you might bid on silent auction items, but first want to see them in person at the Oyster Roast, we recommend registering to bid before the day of the event.

At the Oyster Roast, each auction item will have a QR code that will link to that item on the auction website. All you have to do is open the camera on your smartphone, allow the camera to focus on the QR code, then touch the link that appears on the screen — that will take you right to the item on the auction website. OR you can download the Auctria mobile app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

For the more tech-savvy, the auction site has a cool feature: you can bid, get notifications on whether you’ve been outbid, and more, through texts. Learn how HERE.

One change this year: we are requiring everyone to purchase the items they’ve won by credit card through the auction website. Winners must show staff their receipt of purchase in order to receive their winning items.

CONCERNS ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY?

No worries — we have you covered! If you do not have a smartphone, we will have staff and volunteers on hand who can walk you through the process of bidding via smartphone and QR code. Please register to bid before the Oyster Roast and, on the night of the event, make sure you have the password you created when registering OR have the access code you received via email from the auction site when you registered.