NEWS

A sellout crowd partied the at Las Vegas Night
Going ... Going ...
And sold — a dinner for 12 for $6,000!

It was one of several auction items which brought $70,000 in the live auction at the $175-a-person Las Vegas Night Dec. 12 at a new venue, Wine Country Bistro, and beyond into Pierremont Mall.

The every-other-year affair is a benefit for Betty and Leonard Phillips Deaf Action Center of Louisiana.

The goal for the evening was $160,000, but all figures are not in yet, said DAC chief David Hylan.

There was also a silent auction, gaming and a grand feast, with sliders among the hot hits.

The auction item that garnered all the excitement? A dinner that will be held at 19th-century farmhouse of Stanton and Rhonda Dossett. Dinner will be prepared by Chef Rhonda and chef-to-the-stars Ted Kantrow who has wowed such celebs as Julia Roberts and Kevin Costner with culinary creations. Las Vegas Night chairs Heidi and Gregory Kallenberg and Alissa Kantrow will concoct martinis and mojitos while Stanton plays the blues. (Now, doesn't it all sound divine and don't we all wish we were going along?)

"We wanted that dinner. It is an unbelievable dinner. I was not going to let anybody else get it," said Linda Biernacki, who wielded the auction paddle for the item and the consortium who purchased it.

She and hubby Richard bought it with Mike and Dollie McSwain, Ernie and Rhonda Beauvais and David and Margaret Myatt.

Daryl and Marlene Fultz shelled out $8,000 for dinner with Chef John Folse and Kit and Lesa Gamble paid $15,000 for a trip to Buenos Aires and a stay at Lewis Kalmbach's condo.

Special Las Vegas Night moments: Chicago auctioneer David Goodman keeping up a staccato pace as he urged bidding high, higher, highest, barely taking a breath as he proceeded from one item to another, making an art, really, of auctioneering ... Amazing sign language interpreter Wendi Coker keeping up with Goodman with aplomb ... Popular society bartender Alex Harris manning a gaming table ... DJ Bill Sharp, of Southern University-Shreveport, spinning records for dancing the night away.

Maggie Martin is a Times reporter. She can be reached by calling (318) 459-3257 or faxing, (318) 459-3301. E-mail: maggiemartin@gannett.com.