Auctioneer Keith McLane coaxes auction bids during an Effie Yeaw Nature Center gala. 

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Nature lovers will open their hearts and wallets for the Effie Yeaw Nature Center gala on June 9.

Dubbed Camp Effie Yeaw, the fundraiser has been reinvented as a glamorous camping experience with barbecue feasting and a S’mores buffet.

Supporters of the beloved Carmichael nonprofit organization will wine and dine in plein air and likely see wildlife within yards of their tables.  The center’s biggest fundraiser last year drew more than 150 guests.

Rio Americana High School musicians will provide a jazzy background as Good Day Sacramento host Molly Reihl emcees. Keith McLane will scare up auction bids. Much of the proceeds will fund programs for schools that could not otherwise afford nature experiences for students.

Gala fundraising includes raise-the-paddle opportunities and art sales. VIP donations this year include works from Carmichael painters Pat Mahony, Tom Sellas and the late Earl Boley. Most items are currently displayed for preview at Sacramento Fine Arts Center in Carmichael.

The auction also offers immersive guided hikes, flight lessons, travel holidays and wildlife interactions.  For theater lovers, tickets for the ballet “Dracula” and musicals “Hamilton” and “Tina Turner” will fall to the highest bidders.

Administered by the American River Natural History Association, Effie Yeaw Nature Center annually welcomes more than 100,000 visitors.  An adjacent preserve is a protected home to wildlife. The facility, preserve and all its educational programs are supported entirely by public and corporate donations. The nature center is at Ancil Hoffman Park, 2850 San Lorenzo Way

Gala tickets are $180 ($165 for ARNHA members) per person.

Camp Effie Yeaw gala sponsors include Casino Mine Ranch, Rombauer and Vino Noceto wineries; River City Brewing Company; Kip and Illa Skidmore; cbec eco engineering. Catering is by Buckhorn Grill. For fundraiser information, visit www.sacnaturecenter.net.

Purchase tickets at https://www.effieyeawnature.org/feast-in-the-forest.