With small trees set up as a hedge, flowers at every table, dozens of roses, a wooden arbor and strings of lights, the Boys and Girls Club of Oak Harbor looked more like a scene from a garden party than dinner on a roller rink.

On the evening of Saturday, March 5, those invited to the 6th Annual Bid For Kids auction arrived at Oak Harbor’s 92-year-old landmark Roller Barn, which is also the club’s home, to socialize, participate in silent and live auctions, dine and enjoy themselves while raising a target amount of $100,000 for local youth programs.

“It was truly, truly a marvelous event,” said Roosevelt Rumble, club director. “We had an opportunity to show off our house.”

This year’s auction theme was “Diamonds in a Glass.” As guests walked in, they could purchase a champagne flute and a ticket for the raffle of a diamond ring appraised at $5,000, sponsored by Gloria Carothers of the Jewelry Gallery.

At the end of the night, Oak Harbor resident Lynn Goebel walked away with the ring.

“I thought she was going to faint,” Rumble said, describing how ecstatic Goebel was when she found out she had won the white gold and diamond studded ring.

Besides the diamond raffle, silent auctions for table centerpieces, sports tickets, getaways, salon dates, gift baskets and business gift certificates drew crowds to a perimeter of tables laden with gifts, props and auction sheets.

After dinner and dessert, the live auction began. With the assistance of auctioneer Paul Schenfeld, competition for Vegas getaways, airplane tours, overnight stays in Seattle, catered parties and Caribbean pig roasts filled the room with laughs, challenges and applause.

Oak Harbor resident Karen Breslauer said she had a good time throughout the entire night. For her first auction, Breslauer decided to bid on a handmade quilt and out bid everyone else for it.

“They did a great job with this,” she said.

Rumble said the approximate amount of funds the auction raised is $87,000. This amount includes $30,000 that Island Thrift donated as matching funds.

“We had a really generous crowd,” said Kathy Chalfant, event coordinator.

Chalfant said approximately 150 people attended the auction as guests. They had planned for a larger party, but several guests could not make the auction as the Republican Party Dinner took place on the same night.

Some of the biggest money makers were the Alabama barbecue, compliments of Rumble, which went twice for $1,200, and the Caribbean pig roast, which went twice for $2,300.

Guests also heard from youth involved in the Boys and Girls Club and watched a presentation on what the club means for local children, what it provides and who it affects.

“Things I like about the Boys and Girls Club is that they’ll always be there for you,” said club member Ashley Everett, 11.

One member, Cory Wingett, said staff at the Boys and Girls Club stepped in when he was going through a tough time and helped him through it.

“I went from not caring at all about anything I did, to putting all my effort into loving everything I did,” he said. “The Boys and Girls Club staff have given me the confidence I need to succeed.”

Now Wingett, whose GPA has improved from 1.0 to a 3.0 since he has been involved with the club, helps others younger than himself to learn and develop into responsible and caring youth.

Rumble said the club’s staff, kids, volunteers and board of directors would like to thank all the businesses and individuals that donated to the auction, as well as all those that worked so hard to pull the dinner, auction and programs off.