Other items for the event include a lobster cruise, antiques and a playhouse.

LEWISTON – The Holy Cross School PFTA announces a Grande Auction, “Evening Under the Stars,” on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Hilton Garden Inn of Auburn,

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m for the silent auction and hors d’oeuvres followed by a sit-down dinner. The live auction will begin at 7:30 p.m. and, as one of the evening’s many highlights, will feature a South Africa photo safari for two, donated by wildlife conservationist and international diamond and precious stone dealer Trevor Shaw and the Nyala Group.

Holy Cross School became the recipient of the trip when the Holy Cross PFTA president, Faye Paquette, and vice president, Kathy Bolduc, were invited, compliments of Adopt-A-School partner, St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, to attend a fund-raising seminar presented by the Kingston Auction Co. The program focused on strategic planning for fund-raising.

The six-day, six-night trip includes accommodations for two at Zulu Nyala Game Lodge, Zulu Nyala Heritage Safari Lodge or the Zulu Nyala Nyati/Ndlovu Lodge, situated in the heart of Zululand/St. Lucia/Sodwana Bay Marine Reserve/Lubombo Corridor – one of the richest wildlife conservation regions in Africa.

It also includes all meals and two game viewing activities a day, guided by professional game rangers in open game viewing vehicles, in the Zulu Nyala Game Reserve, the filming location of a movie, “I Dreamed of Africa,” starring Kim Basinger.

Valued at $2,950, the excursion promises plains of game, including elephant, rhino, leopard, giraffe, hippo, zebra, cheetah, buffalo and kuda, Airfare, beverages and phone calls are not included.

Paquette, Grande Auction co-chairwoman, said, “The ‘Evening Under the Stars’ Grande Auction is the first of what we hope will become not only an annual event but one the school’s largest fund-raisers. Our goal is to raise $25,000 for a music program for Holy Cross students.”

She said, “We have had the benefit of the experience of other auction planners, including members of the St. Dominic Regional High School Booster Club, to guide us in this first-year endeavor.”

Professional auctioneer Kathy Kingston of the Kingston Auction Co. will also unveil everything from the practical to the precious. Items include a lobstering cruise and bake, antiques, white water rafting trips, sports camp scholarships and a life-size playhouse wired for electricity.

Auction tickets are $15 a person and are available at the door or in advance by contacting Holy Cross School at 783-9323. Tables for groups often are available for $200 a piece and will receive preferred seating, placecards at each table and group name recognition at the event.

“This evening holds great promise for our school,” said Principal Shawn Chabot. “We are continually striving to improve the educational experience for all our students and the addition of a music program would be a terrific accomplishment.”