Quartet jazzes up ALERT banquet
A few tickets remain for the 28th annual ALERT benefit banquet Saturday featuring a top jazz band and $11,000 in prizes.
Lori Alsbury of the Kalispell Regional Medical Center said people need to act swiftly to attend this popular social event.
"Less than 20 tickets remain," she said.
Proceeds help reduce the financial losses incurred each year by the helicopter ambulance service.
Simpson Subaru is sponsoring the performance of the Jay Thomas Quartet at the banquet. Based in Seattle, the quartet features Thomas on trumpet, saxophone and flugelhorn, Tony Foster on piano, Russ Botton on bass and Don Caverly on drums.
Miriam Singer, who recently moved to Kalispell, performs vocals with the quartet. Singer honed her voice in Broadway theaters and music studios.
Before moving to the Flathead, Singer performed with jazz luminaries Floyd Standifer and Bill Wallace in Seattle.
Thomas, the band leader, has played with jazz notables Chet Baker, Zoot Sims, Sonny Stitt, George Cables, Diane Schuur, Jessica Williams and Bill Mays. He has played on more than 60 CDs and on various film scores.
Foster, Botton and Caverly also have performed with dozens of jazz artists with national reputations.
Along with bringing the band in for the ALERT banquet, Simpson Subaru has arranged for three free public performances for the quartet :
-Today from 8 to 11 p.m. at Red's Wines and Blues,
-Friday from 8 to 11 p.m. at Whitefish Lake Restaurant,
-Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Bigfork Inn.
The banquet is at Majestic Valley Arena, beginning with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. The buffet-style dinner begins at 7:15 p.m.
Special guests for the banquet include the Johan Otter family. Otter and his daughter, Jenna, were rescued by ALERT on Aug. 25 after a serious bear mauling in Glacier National Park.
The auction portion of the festivities includes an array of artwork and other goods, Alsbury said, including bronze sculptures, oils and watercolors. The ALERT auction also features vacation packages, a Big Mountain ski pass, airline tickets and a shotgun.
As in past years, tickets for the fundraiser cost $300 a couple. To order tickets, call Lori Alsbury at 752-1710.