Payson Roundup

If a pirate’s life’s for you, then there’s a party bounding over October’s waves headed your way. The annual Gracie Lee Haught Children’s Memorial Fund Costume Party is Oct. 17 with the theme of Pirates and Bounty of the Sea.

Doors open at 6 p.m., Saturday at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino. Admission is only $20 per person. Come in costume and you have a chance to win a treasure chest of bounty. There will be lots of other prizes, games, music, food and fun, promises Jan Parsons, chief operations officer for GLH Children’s Memorial Fund.

“The chefs are just going wild with the food they are planning,” she said. There will be roast pigs, beef, huge chicken legs, fruit, vegetables and more.

Parsons said Fred Carpenter will be the evening’s DJ and “he has every record ever there is.”

The event is for adults, but the beneficiaries are children and their families. The funds stay in the Rim Country to help with children’s medical bills, car seats and bike helmets. The money is also used to present safety education programs and more.

The GLH Children’s Memorial Fund was founded in 2005 by the parents of Gracie Lee Haught, who died in a tragic accident at the age of 3.

The fund administrators are seeking sponsors for this annual event, which makes it possible for it to continue its works for children and families in the Rim Country. A contribution of $20 to $500 earns a Supporter level designation and a listing in all program material; a gift of $500 to $999 gets the Donor level designation with a listing in all program and advertising material and the reservation of a table for four at the event and entry into a drawing for a 2009 Keystone 19-foot Hideout travel trailer; those giving $1,000 or more are designated as Sponsors and receive the same considerations as Donor contributors, plus a GLH memorial gift.

All contributions are tax deductible. To learn more, contact Jan Parsons at (928) 472-2588.