Added to that were tables covered with baked items made for the fundraiser by Ninilchik Domestic Engineers, known for their culinary skills. Write-in bids for cakes, pies, bars and breads reached into the three digits, with desserts immediately being shared and enjoyed.

"I was so worried there wouldn't be enough (desserts) and then, all of a sudden -- boom -- those Domestic Engineers came through," McGinnis said.

Drawings and a silent auction boosted the amount raised, as did a call-out auction with Michelle Holly, a real estate agent from Ninilchik, serving as auctioneer. Her quick eye and non-stop banter drove bids up and kept the excitement high. Items on the auction block came from generous donors, thanks to the hard work of Dan and Jan Erwin. The pieces included original and autographed pieces of art, jewelry, a trip for two to Tutka Bay, handmade quilts, two round-trip tickets to any ERA destination and more.

The waiters -- Craig Tornga of Crowley, Regan Demello of CH2MHill, Annette Sutton of Marathon Oil, Mike Chihuly of Ninilchik Emergency Services, Eric Foust of 4H/Junior Market Livestock, Doug Schade of Alaska High School Rodeo Association, Cindy Schnabl of Lindsay's Latte, Mike Sweeney of Sweeney's Clothing and Keith Presley of Chinook Tesoro -- kept glasses filled, food served and the diners comfortable, resulting in some fierce competition to keep their tip buckets filled. Tornga drew the most with more than $900; Schnabl came in a close second.

The theme of the evening was "50 Reasons to Shine in 2009," a tribute to Alaska's 50 years of statehood. A room used during the fair by exhibitors and vendors was transformed to match the theme with decorations created by the Larry and Suzan Cobb family. Also working behind the scenes were teens from Eight Ball Games, Ninilchik's teen center.

"They were here every day this week and are meeting me at noon to finish the cleanup," McGinnis said Sunday morning. "I don't pay them. They just come to do it."

Alaska High School Rodeo Association members helped keep the action running smoothly Saturday night, assisting with the auction and serving food.

"We definitely adopted them into the fair family and really want to see them flourish," McGinnis said of the association's partnership with the fair.

Ninilchik Emergency Service's youngest volunteers also were on hand Saturday. High school students trained as emergency trauma technicians helped track bids during the auction and assisted Chihuly in becoming the evening's third-highest scoring waiter. Chihuly also single-handedly sold the most tickets for the evening.

Threatening the evening's success was a malfunctioning stove and the lack of hot water, which would have worried most chefs, but "Deb Cary just carried it right on through. She was amazing," McGinnis said.

Those problems made it clear where the evening's proceeds are going.

"I'm going to have to fix the hot water and oven right off the bat," McGinnis said.

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibbenjackinsky.@homernews.com.