It isn’t often that an organization plans a ball and then promptly tells everyone not to show up at it.

The people who planned the 37th annual Friends of St. Edmond Ball kind of did that, but they weren’t being rude. Far from it. In fact, they are trying their hardest to keep everyone safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. To do that, they scrapped the traditional ball format and created what they are calling the no show ball.

The event’s slogan is ”The pandemic may stop our gathering in person, but it cannot stop our spirit and our faith.”

The ball proceedings begin online at noon Saturday when the annual auction which is one of the largest fundraisers for the Fort Dodge Catholic school begins. Among the items people can bid on are the use of a cabin or condo, tires, a guitar autographed by Kenny Chesney, a bar handcrafted out of cedar wood, and a Kansas City Chiefs wooden flag.

To place bids, go to biddingforgood.com/seball.

Bidding will end at 8 p.m. May 2.

Also at 8 p.m. May 2, the winning raffle tickets for vehicles donated by Shimkat Motor Co., Fort Dodge Ford Lincoln Toyota and Kemna Auto of Fort Dodge will be drawn. Winning tickets for the tuition raffle will also be drawn at that time.

The bulk of the money raised through the no show ball will be used to pay operating expenses of the school. If there is a little extra money, it will be used for special projects at the school.

We are impressed by the creativity displayed by the people at St. Edmond who came up with the concept of a no show ball. They have gone above and beyond to turn a bad situation into one that will be a winner for the school and its students.

We urge local residents to support the school by bidding in the online auction and by buying raffle tickets, both of which are the key elements of this year’s no show ball.