Alumni Association Celebration online auction to begin May 3

A getaway to the beach, art and jewelry are among more than a hundred items that will be up for grabs during the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Alumni Association’s virtual silent auction.

Online bidding for the Alumni Association Celebration auction will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 3, and will end at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 12.

Items up for bid will also include enticements for food lovers. One is a dinner for six people at Café Sydnie Mae prepared by Chef Kim Nuzum. Dr. Bryan Maggard, the University’s director of Athletics, and wife Kerry, will join the group.

Other items to be sold to the highest bidder include:

• a weeklong stay in a beachfront condominium in Orange Beach, Fla.;
• a weekend getaway to Austin, Texas;
• over $500 in gift certificates to “Eat Around Acadiana” at a range of restaurants; and
• a two-hour dolphin tour from Ho2 Pensacola Dolphin Tours, Pontoons and More in Gulf Breeze, Fla.

The Alumni Association typically holds live and silent auctions during its Spring Gala, an annual in-person event. Proceeds from the gala are dedicated to Alumni Association initiatives and maintaining and improving its facilities.

This year, the auction will be held as part of an Alumni Association Celebration, said John Claude Arceneaux, interim executive director of the Alumni Association.

“State-mandated bans on gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic – and uncertainty about when those bans would end – prevented the gala from being held this year,” Arceneaux said.

As part of the celebration, photos of past Alumni Association events and video interviews of alums will be posted to its social media accounts each day during the auction.

“We’ll highlight Alumni Association history and traditions, and feature some of the people who have helped shape it,” Arceneaux said.

Photo caption: More than a hundred items will be up for grabs during the UL Lafayette Alumni Association Celebration virtual auction that will be held from Monday, May 3, to Wednesday, May 12. Photo credit: Doug Dugas / University of Louisiana at Lafayette