Daniela Coe-McNamara
Staff Writer
The Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Aquarium held its second annual Sea Starry Night Jam Fundraiser on September 28th at the Strand House.
The event included a silent auction with high-value items including an autographed guitar and an intimate concert played by the band Jam Kitchen whose lead guitarist, Robby Krieger, was previously the lead guitarist for the well-known rock group, The Doors.
“The board member who was in charge of this event, Matt Freedman, had worked with Robby Krieger and felt his love of marine life and scuba diving made him a great fit to perform at this fundraiser,” Roundhouse Aquarium Administrative Director Valerie Hill said.
The Sea Starry Night Jam has been held at the Manhattan Beach restaurant the Strand House both years it has been in existence due to the restaurants proximity to the Aquarium and it’s upscale atmosphere. The event took place in the lower, more private area of the restaurant.
“All of the guests seemed to be having a great time as they enjoyed themselves,” Hill said. “We made money while they were doing so, which I take as a good sign that the fundraiser was a success.”
Due to the bar setting of the lower level of the Strand House, people under the age of 21 were prohibited from attending. Most attendees were closely connected to the Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Aquarium.
“The Roundhouse Aquarium needed some touch ups for tanks, as well as some new displays and this fundraiser raised enough to help us out with these new updates and additions,” Hill said.
Since VIP tickets were priced at $500, the Aquarium was able to make $4000 on VIP Packages alone. These tickets sold out quickly, as there was limited availability. VIP Packages included 2 tickets to the concert, 4 drink tickets, 2 souvenir laminates, access to the silent auction, and a meet and greet with Robby Krieger.
“Robby Krieger was able to autograph a Ck Guitar for the auction, which was one of our more pricey items, selling at $1,400,” Hill said.
Early bird tickets were priced at $100, with only 40 tickets available. Once these tickets were sold out, prices increased to $125. Late purchases, which were even more limited, sold for $175. Regular Tickets included 1 concert ticket, 2 drink tickets, a souvenir laminate, and access to the silent auction.
“Although we didn’t completely sell out all of our guest tickets, we had a great number of people and everyone was able to move around without it being too crowded,” Hill said.
The first annual fundraiser, which took place in late 2013, raised over $8,000 for the myriad of programs surrounding and within the Roundhouse Aquarium. After the 2010 recession, the Roundhouse Aquarium was facing financial issues, which sparked the creation of the annual Sea Starry Night Jam Fundraiser.
“We wanted to have an annual fundraiser event to help aid the Roundhouse Aquarium with our educational programs, as well as our public education programs which help out the community,” Hill said.
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