The annual United Way Gala fundraiser was held Saturday evening at the Quinault Beach Resort and Casino and officials with the organization expect that close to $100,000 was raised for local charities. Gala-goers bid on live and silent auction items that included vacation packages, tours, Seahawks and Trailblazers tickets, and even a bulldog pup.

United Way President Travis Jelovich provided the welcome, and after a blessing, dinner was served. United Way Executive Director Kelley McDonald was introduced and danced her way through the crowd to the podium, before auctioneers Gary Morean and Eric Nelson — dressed in white tails — started the bidding on 15 live auction items. Chloe, an American bulldog pup complete with puppy supplies from Elma Feed and Levee Feed and Pet Supply, brought in more than $1,000, and several items up for bid fetched more than $2,000 apiece. On top of that, there were more than 35 silent auction items, donated by local businesses and individuals.

While official totals won’t be tallied until Thursday, McDonald said, “It looks like about 320 guests and about $111,000. We don’t have too many expenses, so our net should come in at almost $100,000.”

A popular fundraiser was the Heads of Tails game. Participants for a $20 entry were asked to stand and pick “heads” or “tails” as Nelson flipped a silver dollar. They chose heads or tails by grabbing their own heads or tails. As the players’ numbers dwindled, they were lined up and told to make their choice by grabbing the head or tail of the person in front of them, until there was only one person left standing. That person was awarded with 250 gallons of gas from Masco Petroleum.

The annual Black and White Gala fundraiser for the United Way was held at the Quinault Beach Casino in Ocean Shores Saturday evening. There were tables of silent auction items up for bid leading up to the dinner and live auction, which featured 15 items ranging from Seahawks packages to a week-long stay at a luxury Baja boutique hotel near Cabo San Lucas.