20th annual Bite of Blaine to be formal affair

At the upcoming Bite of Blaine fundraiser, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, attendees will be able to sample food from local eateries and participate in silent and live auctions benefitting Blaine’s Old Fashioned Fourth of July.

The 20th annual Bite of Blaine will take place on Monday, February 17 in the Semiahmoo Resort Ballroom starting at 6 p.m. Tickets, which will not be sold at the door, cost $30 each and can be purchased at Pacific Building Center, 2677 Bell Road; the Blaine Welcome Center, 546 Peace Portal Drive; or online at blainechamber.com.

This year’s event will be slightly different from previous years. In the past, the event started at 6 p.m. with a silent auction and cash bar in the foyer, prior to the main dining room opening at 6:30 p.m. This year, the entire event will kick off at 6 p.m. and everything – the silent and live auctions, the bar and the food samples – will be in the main ballroom, said Donna Raimey, the Blaine Chamber of Commerce’s program and events coordinator. “We would like to keep all the energy in one room,” she said.

Because this is the event’s 20th anniversary, attendees are being encouraged to dress in cocktail or formal attire. This year, in addition to the business of the year and Best of the Bite awards that are traditionally presented, the chamber will aim to recognize many other local businesses as well, by giving them certificates and floral centerpieces, said Raimey.

This year’s participating restaurants and establishments include Barnyard Coffee Roasters, Black Forest Steak House, CJ’s Beach House, Border Town Pizza, Cost Cutter, MyShan Dairy, Drayton Harbor Oyster Company, Kaisacole Seafood, Good Samaritan Society – Stafholt, Loomis Trail Golf Club, Paso Del Norte, Semiahmoo Resort, Subway and The Vault Wine Bar and Bistro, which took home the Best of the Bite trophy last year.

There will be many special auction items this year, ranging from art and metalwork to boat cruises and gift baskets. Auction items include a metal-printed photograph of Semiahmoo taken by local photographer Jacob Potts of Semiahmoo Resort ($150 value), sponsored by Mike Hill; a one-of-a-kind kitchen knife handcrafted by Bordertown Blades ($225 value); and a two-hour Drayton Harbor/Semiahmoo Bay cruise for up to six people onboard a 32-foot yacht, with two bottles of wine and a cheese tray supplied by The Vault Wine Bar and Bistro ($400 value).

The event will raise funds for Blaine’s Fourth of July festivities, which attract thousands of visitors to downtown Blaine each summer. To learn more about Bite of Blaine, visit blainechamber.com or call 360/332-6484.