The Washington County Animal Shelter is offering a unique way to celebrate the season of love this February while also supporting a meaningful cause.
On Friday, Feb. 8, the shelter will be sponsoring a Singles Mingle event in partnership with the Johnson City Country Club.
Starting at 6:30 p.m. Friday night, single women over 21 from across the area are invited to an auction at the country club, where they will have the opportunity to place bets on pre-planned dates with eligible bachelors in a wide variety of age groups.
Tickets to the event can be purchased online or at the door for $35, which includes the cover charge, a multitude of hors d’oeuvres and a drink ticket.
Development Director for the Washington County Animal Shelter Cara Ledbetter is excited for the upcoming event and has encouraged everyone interested to attend.
“This event has really evolved,” said Ledbetter. “It started off as just an idea in a board meeting. Now I have 20 bachelors, all great guys that love animals. Some of them have even rescued animals from the shelter. It’s just turned out really neat, and they’re all really excited about doing this to help raise money for the animal shelter.”
One of the biggest draws for the event is the many dates Ledbetter has planned for the couples.
“We have some really cool dates that have been donated,” said Ledbetter. “One guy said that his dream date was to go skydiving, so whoever bids the highest for his date will be going on a picnic sponsored by Main Street Pizza Company and then skydiving.”
Other dates have been donated, such as a cooking class where the couple will prepare a gourmet meal to eat together.
ETSU faculty are even in on the fun. Four single ETSU football coaches are participating.
“They have a very interesting date planned,” elaborated Ledbetter. “The four coaches and whoever wins their dates will be going on a scavenger hunt in downtown Johnson City, competing against each other. Then, they will eat dinner together at Bonefish Grill, where the winning team will be presented a special prize.”
Proceeds from the evening will go toward helping the animals in the shelter who need some additional love this season.
