Some of the 2011 Benefit Auction Items

Temptations abound at this year's Festival Auction, Friday, April 15. Nearly two hundred live and silent auction items offer a dazzling array of treats for every taste-and every budget! Here are just a few to whet your appetite.

 

Escape To the San Juans Escape To the San Juans

You and up to five friends can spend three summer days twenty feet from the water's edge in a two-bedroom waterfront cottage on a quiet bay on Lopez Island. The cottage features a large wrap-around deck that is perfect for outdoor dinners. While away your time clamming, crabbing, and taking long walks along the water's edge. 		vertical rule "Odd Fellows II" by Susan Bennerstrom

"Odd Fellows II" by Susan Bennerstrom

A painter of interiors and panoramic landscapes in her home state of Washington, renowned artist Susan Bennerstrom has graciously donated “Odd Fellows II,” an 18" x 27" oil on panel rendering in a frame provided by the artist. The painting is also highlighted in this year's Festival poster. Her spare, atmospheric and rich tonal quality is said to be reminiscent of Edward Hopper. Of her work she says, “I am beguiled by light and its absence, shadow, and no matter what my apparent subject matter is, light and shade will probably always be the thread running through every painting I make.
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Wickaninnish Inn

 Winter Storm Getaway

Enjoy a one-night stay in a deluxe guestroom at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, B.C. From the cozy comfort of your fireplace-warmed suite watch the storm clouds gather and the waves break over the rocks, then don a rain slicker and enjoy the breathtaking views up close!		 vertical rule Ride to the Future -- and Get Great Gas Mileage Ride to the Future -- and Get Great Gas Mileage
Ten lucky people will tour the fabrication hub of the Vehicle Research Institute on the Western Washington University campus before the professors and students depart for their next national competition. Four guests will take ride in the X-Prize carbon-fiber 2 passenger 100 mpg car that reached the final international competition in Michigan. Or they'll ride in the Baja Car that students designed and built. See the General Motors EV1 electric car of 1996-1999, one of 41 remaining vehicles. It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicles of the modern era from a major automaker, and the first GM car designed to be an electric vehicle form the outset. This is a great time to ask Eric Leonhardt and Mark Dudzinski any of your future car/technology/future design questions. They are the experts.
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Italian Farmhouse Vacation Italian Farmhouse Vacation

Explore the rolling green hillsides, olive groves and vineyards of Le Marche, a beautiful region on the Adriatic coast of Italy. Your week's stay in a charming Italian farmhouse is near the medieval hill towns of Staffolo, Cupramontana, Apiro and Cingoli, little touched by the hands of time, where traditional Italian culture remains rich and vibrant. Less than an hour's drive away is the Adriatic Sea and its famous sandy "Velvet Beach" which won't disappoint. Or spend your week enjoying local Italian cuisine and the famous Verdicchio wine made from the indigenous white grape of the region. 		vertical rule Michael Palmer and the Festival OrchestraSurround Sound Magic During a Rehearsal

Hear music as you’ve never heard it before, the ultimate surround sound. Face the conductor and watch the interaction between the musicians and Michael Palmer. Learn nuances of how the instruments are played to produce the sound the conductor wants. See how the musicians and conductor manipulate the instruments such as the upstroke or downstroke, forceful or not on the bow. You’ll sit like a mouse in the room. You’ll hear each instrument individually in a way no recording can ever capture and no audience can experience in the same way. The sounds are simply different. No matter how familiar you are with the music you will hear it in an entirely new way as if for the first time. It will sound different like a new language -- the same meaning but so much more nuanced.
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San Francisco Two-bedroom Pied-à-terre San Francisco Two-bedroom
Pied-à-terre

Experience all San Francisco has to offer. Spend five luxurious nights in a two-level, elegantly furnished, quiet townhouse in the heart of The City. This pleasure palace sleeps four and offers an outdoor swimming pool, a hot tub, an exercise room, wi-fi, and cable TV. Best of all, it’s located right in the middle of San Francisco Civic Center, just steps from the Opera House, Davies Symphony Hall, and the Asian Art Museum.		 vertical rule Steve Mayo Print Come Fly with Me

Two Roundtrip Tickets completely unrestricted on Alaska Airlines and/or Horizon Airlines. NO BLACKOUT DATES. Hawaii, Mexico, Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Austin, are just a few of the destinations available. Christmas, Thanksgiving, no problem!
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Guemes Island 3 Night Get-Away Guemes Island 3 Night Get-Away

Get away for a peaceful stay on unspoiled Guemes Island at the Red Farmhouse. Perfect for one to three couples or for a women's get-away. Located on 6.5 acres of wooded farmland within walking distance to the beach and perfect for hiking, long walks, beach-combing, kayaking, bicycling or just relaxing with a good book or playing cards and games. This charming, fully furnished Salt Box home has 3 bedrooms upstairs with 6 twin beds, and one queen sofa bed, full bath and shower upstairs and half-bath downstairs.		 vertical rule A Seattle Holiday to Remember A Seattle Holiday to Remember

Here's the perfect Seattle holiday. Explore Pike Street, the Seattle Art Museum, and Benaroya Hall, which are all a five-minute stroll away from your stylish accommodations at the elegant Four Seasons Hotel. You'll also enjoy the Seattle Symphony, a "Mystery Seattle Symphony Surprise," and dinner for two at the award winning Asian restaurant, Wild Ginger.