Mark your calendar, invite friends to sit at your table and plan to have a fun evening with forest friends, great food, quality wines, handcrafted beer, wonderful entertainment and a silent and live auction.

The waterfront setting at the Fidalgo Bay Resort will once again provide an elegant backdrop for a lively fun-filled annual Friends of the Forest Benefit from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Oct. 11.

Tickets are now on sale for the event that raises money for the Friends of the Forest Education Program, which teaches residents and visitors all about the Anacortes Community Forest Lands.

Fidalgo Swing and Spoonshine will provide the music while Gere-a-Deli provides the food. With this venue, ample seating will be available for everyone during dinner.

Master carver Kevin Paul is the featured artist and many other local artists have donated generously to the event. Work by Phil McCracken, Joel Brock, Alfred Currier, Anne Martin McCool, Leo Osborne, Ora Mae Petersen, LeAnne Adams, David Grant Best, Kat Gardiner, Don DeLlamas, Jennifer Bowman, Carl Dellutri and others will be presented for silent and live auction.

Many other items and services have also been donated, including Seahawks tickets, a sailboat dinner cruise, a week in a Maui condo, a catered sushi dinner, necklaces and earrings.

Last year’s benefit sold out, so everyone is encouraged to get tickets early.

Tickets are $50 for individuals, $400 for a table of eight and $500 for a table of 10.

Sponsorships opportunities for the event are still available.

Tickets can be purchased at Watermark Book Company.

For information about the event, sponsorships or tickets, contact any Friends of the Forest board member, call the Friends office at 293-3725, e-mail or visit friendsoftheacfl.org.

The Friends is a nonprofit, citizens organization dedicated to the preservation of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands through education, outreach and stewardship.