Gamble for education: Mardi Gras events raise money for local schools
Pexels, Clifford Photos
Celebrate Mardi Gras early with two local events this Friday and Saturday, where guests can gamble for a good cause.
Two Rivers Community School will host Mardi Gras Bingo from 6-9 p.m. on Friday at the Hotel Colorado, 526 Pine St., Glenwood Springs. Tickets are $65 and can be purchased on EventBrite — see the Post Independent’s online event calendar for a link — or pay at the door.
The adults-only bingo night includes a buffet-style dinner, silent auction, cash prizes and live music by Sweet Jessup and the Dirty Buckets. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.
Event proceeds will help fund the annual Two Rivers Community School eighth grade class trip to Mexico. For Two Rivers Community School students, who learn Spanish as well as English, the international trip is the supreme field study experience.
“Part of our school is trying to teach kids to develop an appreciation and have a better understanding of different cultures around the world,” Jamie Nims, the school’s head, said. “Where we live in the valley, learning more about Latin American cultures is an exciting activity that is part of their real world experience, or for many of our students, it is just their lives.”
Community members can join the Grand Valley Educational Foundation on Saturday for three hours of gambling at the First Annual Mardi Gras Masquerade Poker Night. The event will be from 7-10 p.m. at the Grand Valley Recreation Center, 398 Arroyo Drive, Battlement Mesa. Tickets are $25 for singles and $45 for couples and can be purchased at grandvalleyeducationalfoundation.org or at the door.
Tickets include appetizers from Callahan’s Restaurant and prizes.
The fundraiser will support the Grand Valley Educational Foundation, which has provided grants for teachers and scholarships for graduating seniors in Parachute since 1999.
“I’m just excited to get the Educational Foundation’s name out there again and create awareness of what we do and why we do it,” Garfield Re-16 Public Information Officer and Grants Coordinator Nicole Loschke said. “I’m excited to see our community come out to support our local schools.”
Support Local Journalism
Support Local Journalism
Readers around Glenwood Springs and Garfield County make the Post Independent’s work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.
Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.
Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.