In Reply to: Chamber Day & Evening 2007 posted by Ken Kurtis on March 01, 2007 at 00:36:41:

We realize that not everyone can take a Wednesday off, so that’s why we have Chamber Evening. What makes this event unique is that we secure the ENTIRE Aquarium of the Pacific . . . just for us.

The Aquarium, along with the Chamber Day Committee, invites you for an evening of food, fish, and fun, also on Wednesday, May 2, from 7:00-10:30PM. Because the Aquarium realizes the vital role our Chamber plays in the overall safety of the SoCal dive community, and because they realize what a valuable contribution the roughly 170 volunteer divers make to the smooth running of the Aquarium, they waive their normal facility fee for this event and host this event for us at no charge. (We’ll still be paying for catering, but that’s outside of the Aquarium’s control.)

Cost of the evening is $90 per person. (Those who do both the daytime and evening events will receive an extra $20 in raffle tickets as a bonus for doing both events.) Last year, this event sold out about two weeks ahead of time. And because we’re limited in the number of people we can have attend (we cap this at 450), the earlier you sign up, the better.

Each table holds 10 people (dinner is a sit-down, served affair). Most of our tables are sponsored by area dive shops, clubs, and organizations, and we’ve got a few that are unassigned and designated as "Open." You can sign up either directly with a table sponsor, or through our website (www.chamberday.org - it also has a complete list of table sponsors) or by calling us at 310/652-4990. Just make sure you let us know where you want to sit so we can make sure you’re with your friends and dive buddies.

Doors will open at 7:00. Dinner will be around 8:15. We’ve got some remarks to be made and raffle prizes to be awarded and should wrap all that up shortly after 10PM. Then you’ll have until about 10:30PM to wander around and take in all the sights (but don’t take home any fish). It’s going to be a very special evening, and appropriate for divers and non-divers alike (so you can bring along your non-diving Significant Other and he/she can share the excitement of our sport).

With your ticket receive 5 raffle tickets, good for some special prizes we’ll have on hand for the evening. Plus, there will be opportunity (and encouragement and arm-twisting) to buy more raffle tickets while you’re there. Total value of the evening raffle prizes will approach $10,000 and includes regulators, BCs, computers, and even a complete gear set. (See the website - www.chamberday.org - for a complete listing of all prizes and donors.) We‘ll also have a Blind Bid Silent Auction where you can bid on the prizes but you don't know what others have bid (hopefully encouraging you to bid high so yours will be the winning bid).

During the entire evening, we’ll have access to the full Aquarium and it’s 12,000+ critters consisting of over 550 species, representing three major regions of the Pacific. In case you didn’t know, the Aquarium of the Pacific is the only Aquarium to focus solely on the Pacific Ocean. And, it’s also the only Aquarium in the United States to have, all under one roof . . . a Napoleon Wrasse (in the 350,000 gallon Tropical Reef exhibit), Sand Tiger sharks, sea dragons, a pelagic ray (in Blue Caverns), sea lions, sea otters, and lots of SoCal dive volunteers (who will be on hand to answer any questions you might have). You can also wander out to Shark Lagoon to take a gander at some of the sharks you CAN touch, and some which you can’t.

As with Chamber Day, Chamber Evening tickets can be purchased by calling 310/652-4990 or by going to our secure server at ChamberDay.org. Just indicate how many tickets you want, what table you’d like to sit at, and how you want to pay. It’s as simple as that.

Mark the date -Wednesday, May 2. This is one dive party you don’t want to miss.

• ChamberDay.com

• Chamber Evening 2007 Raffle 01:07:20 03/01/07 (0)