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Sweetheart Gala: A long held tradition

20th annual event will raise funds to fight heart disease

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Kayla Kovarna, executive director of the Iowa chapter of the American Heart Association, looks over some of the silent auction items available during the 19th annual Webster County Sweetheart Gala at the Best Western Startlite Village Inn & Suites.

The upcoming 20th Annual Sweetheart Gala will offer a fun and purposeful evening raising money to fight heart disease.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. March 4 in the Best Western Starlite Village Inn & Suites, 1518 Third Ave. N.W. Tickets cost $50.

Guests will be able to dance the night away and raise money for the American Heart Association.

“Since it is the 20th Annual Gala we wanted to do something different and special, so we added another fundraiser where guests have a chance to win a real diamond,” event organizer Abigail Johnson said.

This year the Sweetheart Gala will be holding a special fundraiser called “Bubbles & Bling.” With this fundraiser, guests have a chance to win a diamond. To be eligible, each participant will buy a glass of champagne for $100. At the bottom of their glass, there will either be a piece of cubic zirconium or a real diamond. At the end of the night, the guest will find out if the stone is real or not. If they don’t win the diamond, they will have a CZ piece and a champagne glass to keep.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Board members Deb Johnson, left, and Darcy Lee help set up the place cards with a little help from Matt Johnson, right, during 19th annual Webster County Sweetheart Gala at the Best Western Startlite Village Inn & Suites Saturday evening.

At 6 p.m. there will be a social hour for the guests and the silent auction will begin, taking place throughout the night. Dinner will be served at 6:45 p.m., following guest speaker Dr. Matt Maggio.

The live auction will begin at 7:45 p.m. with Webster County Supervisor Keith Dencklau serving as the auctioneer. Some of the auction items include a Minnesota Vikings Weekend Getway (two tickets to a Vikings game and a $200 gift certificate), $1,000 scholarship from Iowa Central Community College, oil change and detail from Fort Dodge Ford Toyota, wine refrigerator from Sears Hometown Store, Ariana Grande tickets, Shawn Mendez tickets, a package from AirChoice One, and many more that guests will not want to miss out on.

After the live auction, DJ Dean Vinchattle will take over, allowing guests to dance and enjoy the rest of the night.

Money raised during the gala will be used to help meet a goal of reducing deaths from cardiovascular disease by 20 percent by the year 2020. Heart disease and strokes are currently the leading cause of death in the United States.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Iowa, and the Sweetheart Gala is a great opportunity for us to give back to the Heart Association,” Johnson said. “When it comes to heart health it almost affects everyone, and the American Heart Association works hard to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Ashley Lundberg, of Fort Dodge, places a bid on one of the many silent auction items available during the 19th annual Webster County Sweetheart Gala at the Best Western Startlite Village Inn & Suites. Proceeds from the event benefit the American Heart Association's efforts to fight heart disease.

The 83.6 million survivors of heart disease and stroke prove that donations to the cause make a lifesaving difference, according to the gala organizers.

“Heart disease is something that has affected me and my family personally, which is why I am involved every year,” Johnson said. ”It is a really fun time, celebrating a wonderful cause and you will not want to miss it.”

For more information, contact Johnson at (515) 570-7505.

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