Salisbury Academy held its very first WinterBloom event recently at Boxwood Lodge in Mocksville. The evening was a modification of the live and silent auction the school has held for many years on its campus.

"WinterBloom," organizers say, is synonymous with the season of educating and nurturing our youth in our community.

WinterBloom was designed to support the youth of the community; a portion of the proceeds will go to a Community Student Outreach scholarship fund to enable high school students from the Salisbury-Rowan public school system to participate in an accredited leadership program. This is an educational and student leadership opportunity to prepare youth for roles as future community leaders.

The remaining proceeds will be divided between Investing in Student Success with scholarship funding provided to afford students the opportunity to attend Salisbury Academy and Greater Returns on Investment program to benefit the growth of Salisbury Academy's programs, technology, and capital needs.

The evening began with hosts, Missie and Greg Alcorn, Diane and Luke Fisher, and Connie and Clay Lindsay greeting more than 200 guests for a cocktail buffet provided by B&B Catering and Event Planning, Inc.

Guests received play money to have fun at blackjack, craps and roulette tables, with an exciting blackjack tournament closing the tables. A live auction was the highlight of the evening, where a trip to San Francisco, a deep sea excursion, beach and mountain vacations and a Bob Timberlake print, to name a few items, were auctioned to raise money for the community scholarship fund and the school. The live auction ended on two very high notes, with a gourmet wine/dinner party and a designer yorkie-poo puppy stealing the show. With the live auction bids and generous community donations to the school, the event brought in over $100,000. The after-auction festivities started off with a bang of sparkling fireworks, where the night sky could be seen from inside the clear tents. Johnny White and the Elite Band played a variety of songs for all to enjoy on the dance floor until midnight.

"KidsBloom," a family festival and Silent Auction, will be held on Saturday, May 1, from 4-7 p.m. on the school campus. The community is invited to this event.