By Joe Johnson
Watauga Humane Society’s 22nd annual Fur Ball fundraiser is going to be held on September 14 from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
This year’s Fur Ball will include many activities for everyone to enjoy, including an elegant silent auction of about 100 different items, a balloon raffle, artists painting dogs while doing the cocktail hour, a buffet dinner, and a hula hoop contest; prizes will be awarded to the top three outfits for both men and women who attend the Fur Ball!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Watauga Humane Society, so it is only appropriate that the theme of the 2019 Fur Ball is the 1950s. “The club has given us permission to wear blue jeans, which is a no-no ordinarily,” said Alice Roess, President of the Watauga Humane Society Board, “When I was growing up in the 50s I wore rolled up blue jeans, we all wore saddle shoes or bobby socks, our fathers’ big white T-shirts tied in the front, and pop beads! The colors of the 50s were really pink and black. So I have a big necklace of pink pop beads!”
The Lucky Strikes will be playing music throughout the Fur Ball and the food provided will be foods that were especially popular during the 1950s such as corn dogs, casseroles, Salisbury steaks, and a bright pink Jell-O salad.
Watauga Humane Society holds the annual Fur Ball as their main fundraiser each year. The operating budget for the Watauga Humane Society is $760,000 per year; $84,000 of which is allocated to the organization by Watauga County, as the Humane Society is a nonprofit organization, but the rest of the funds have to be raised by the organization throughout the year. The Fur Ball is a great chance to give back to the Watauga community and help raise funds to help the animals that come through the Watauga Humane Society doors. “We take in approximately 2500 animals per year and we treat them to the best of our ability,” said Roess, “We take care of all their medical needs, all their chips, and anything that’s needed. Our euthanasia rate is very low; we try to find every animal a good, loving forever home.”
Alice Roess emphasizes the generosity that Watauga community members have shown during past Fur Ball events and the compassion that is shown toward animals throughout Watauga County. “As President of the board, I am so encouraged by the generous response of people in Watauga County,” said Roess, “I’m originally from Florida and now I live on Wonderland Trail; I just love to see people walk their dogs! Everybody I know has at least one dog and most of the people have two or three dogs. I love that people come out to the Humane Society to adopt rescue animals. The animals are so appreciative; we’ve all gone through purebred dogs over the years and now we are gravitating toward the rescue animals that need us so much! It just makes us all feel good.”
Tickets to the 2019 Watauga Humane Society Fur Ball at Blowing Rock Country Club are $125 per person.
For more information, contact Alice Roess at aliceroess@charter.net or 828.295.7384
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