First Best Place sponsors soiree

 First Best Place of Columbia Falls sponsors it Showcase fundraising event from 7 p.m. to midnight April 30 at Glacier Discovery Square.

It will be a neighborhood mixer-style soiree featuring a headliner concert, local food and drinks and live auction, as well as updates on the organization’s many projects.

Admission is by donation at the door. All money raised will benefit First Best Place community improvement projects.

From 7 to 9 p.m. bidders will compete for high-end auction packages on products, trips and services while enjoying local food, special local beers, and regional wines and spirits. A complete list of items to be auctioned can be found at www.firstbestplace.org

From 9 to 11:30 p.m. the Johnny Cash tribute band, Cold Hard Cash Show, will perform. This band has also performed on the “David Letterman” show.

Guests also will have the opportunity to purchase a name plate for the Old Red Bridge project.

 Over the past three years, First Best Place has been providing educational and recreational opportunities for the Flathead Valley, operating primarily through grant funding and corporate sponsorship. With an opportunity to match a $25,000 private donation, First Best Place is asking the community to attend the event in support of projects such as the Columbia Falls Farmers Market, Old Red Bridge restoration, Legacy Archive, pie cookery, library, youth center, community garden, Gateway to Glacier — The Canyon and North Valley Hospital Health Education Center.

“This event is the culmination of so much of our hard work. We’re looking forward to showing everyone how all of this exciting progress is connected,” says First Best Place executive director Barry Conger. “We’ve got our sights set on breaking fundraising records by making this an event that simply can’t be missed.”

The First Best Place is a grassroots 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to developing quality-of-life projects for the Columbia Falls community.

Discovery Square is located at 540 Nucleus Ave. For more information, call 892-1363.