Noche Tropical The fourth annual Noche Tropical Silent Auction Benefit for SchoolCARE will take place Saturday Nov. 3, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Albany Community Center. For more information, contact Amy St. George at 528-0848. The 2007 Noche Tropical program An article on the 2007 Noche Tropical by Carol Newborg. Last year's event: A balmy night under the “stars,” sipping wine and sampling tasty fare from gourmet restaurants, chatting with friends and catching up with other parents, laughing and enjoying good music – all for the benefit of Albany schools. This was the scene at the Albany Community Center at the third annual Noche Tropical event, which raised over $33,000. It was the brain child of the amazing Noche Tropical Committee: Amy St. George, Carol Newborg, Carrie Schultze, Cathy Goodman, Cheryl Higley, Cynthia Mah, Edith Morrow, Joyce Kessler, Meiling Lincoff, Sandy Endo, Sheila Erickson, and Sheryl Black. Dozens of volunteers helped round up donations, prepare material, setup up, organize and present the food, and sweep in with a swift post-event clean up. Thank you to all who made this fabulous and festive community event a success yet again. Tapping along to the music of Bruce Felter, Dean Muench, and Tom Weimer, a crowd of about 200 circulated around the tables, bidding on items ranging from children’s toys and hand made jewelry to vacation home weekends and legal and other professional services. Nibbling on delicious treats and enjoying the open wine and beer bar, partygoers engaged in some friendly rivalry as competition for some of the most desired items intensified. By the time the closeout bell rang on the final table of auction items, the lively silent auction bidding resulted in a record level of donations for SchoolCARE. Thank you to the generous sponsors: Big Red Construction, César, downtown restaurant, L’Aubergine Catering, and The Pub. These businesses provided in kind donations: Copy Express, Country Cheese Coffee Market, Eunice Gourmet, Gladys & Jeff Rutherford, Jon Schmidt, Jurassic Palms, Kyong Mok Kim, Kyung Jin Jang, Magnani, Marcela Chavez, Monier Attar, Nabil Alwadai, Oakland Museum Café, Paper Plus, Peets, Picante Catering, Serves You Right, Westbrae Nursery, Zand’s. The 2006 Noche Tropical Catalog (PDF)