Carlinville Christmas Market’s “Christmas at the Beach” dinner/auction set for July 26

CARLINVILLE, ILL. -- Shorts. Flip flops. Colorful Hawaiian shirts. Good food. Margaritas and beer. Free souvenirs. Comedian Chris Barnes. A Mike Crabtree auction. Now that’s how to celebrate summer . . . and help raise money for the 19 th annual Carlinville Christmas Market in December.

The Carlinville Christmas Market Foundation (CCMF) will host its second annual summer fundraiser at the Carlinville Elks Lodge on Saturday, July 26. The cocktail hour and the silent auction start at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30. After dinner, popular comedian Chris Barnes takes the stage for his upbeat, high-energy comedy act that has won him non-stop laughs and applause at comedy clubs, colleges, and conventions across the United States.

Around 8:30, Mike Crabtree takes the stage to keep the laugh momentum going in his unique style and to open the bidding for the live auction. All items to be auctioned are donated to the Christmas Market by generous merchants, businesses, and individuals in the Carlinville area.

“Last year, the theme for our first Christmas Market fundraiser was ‘Christmas in July,’ and we encouraged our guests to dress for Christmas,” said event organizer and CCMF Vice President Jeff Link. “This year, we’re going casual. This is a beach party. We don’t have a beach, but we do encourage guests to dress for it. Flip-flops, sandals, shorts, Capri pants, crazy print shirts, panama hats . . . whatever works for you in the summer. Let’s have some fun with it.”

Tickets for “Christmas at the Beach” cost $25 per person. A reserved table for eight costs $200. A “Big Kahuna” reserved table costs $300 and comes with eight tickets, special recognition and publicity, unique souvenirs, and two pitchers of margaritas or two bottles of wine. Tickets are available at the Carlinville Regional Chamber of Commerce office and The Book Shelf on the town square, as well as KMRM Insurance on North Broad St. and from CCMF board members.

Proceeds from “Christmas at the Beach” will go directly to the Foundation to cover some of the costs of producing the 2008 Christmas Market festival on December 5, 6, and 7.

For more information about the Market, visit www.CarlinvilleChristmasMarket.com