MOSES LAKE — It’s time to acid-wash the jeans, dig out the leg warmers and go wild with the hairspray at Youth Dynamics’ banquet and auction Oct. 17. 

The theme is “Back to the ’80s,” and attendees are encouraged to dress as their favorite movie characters from that era, according to Moses Lake Youth Dynamics Director Sean Sallis. Tickets are available until Oct. 10, Sallis said. There are still plenty available, but so far this year’s event is more popular than ever, he said.

“As of (Thursday), we’ve sold 23 tables, and we’ve never sold that many tables by Oct. 1,” Sallis said. “(At last year’s auction), there were a lot of new people who had never been to our auction before, who had been invited to a table, and some of those people are now buying their own table with their friends.”

Dinner will be prime rib catered by Firehouse Barbecue, followed by a dessert dash with a sweet treat for each table, Sallis said. There will be a photo booth and mocktails by Eleventh Hour. The event is alcohol-free, he said.

Live auction items are still coming in, Sallis said, but so far there are some stay-and-play packages and a couple of creative date night packages. One is donated by Youth Dynamics itself, he said.

“It’s a romantic candlelight dinner for two at the youth center, enjoying a tater dog together,” he said. “Then we give you tickets to the movie theater and some candy to go with it.”

The Bob Ross gift tree will probably be a popular auction item as well, Sallis said. 

“We’re buying a little Christmas tree and we’ve been collecting gift certificates all over town,” he said. “Some are $25, some are $200, some are $400 … We’re calling it a happy little gift tree.”

Youth Dynamics is a Christian youth ministry that offers middle and high school students a place to hang out, play games, do homework or socialize in a safe, friendly environment. There’s an indoor basketball space, a video game loft and a coffee and soda bar. Besides the fun stuff, YD serves meals and has showers and laundry facilities for kids who might have trouble accessing those things at home. The live and silent auctions will pay for those operations.

One thing the money won’t be used for is staff salaries; all the staff, including him, raise their support from outside sources, Sallis said. There’s also no rent; YD owns the building on Third Avenue in Moses Lake.

Several times a year, Youth Dynamics takes teens on outdoor trips: rock climbing, river rafting and horseback riding. The money from the dessert dash will pay for scholarships for kids who can’t afford to go on those adventures otherwise, Sallis said.

At the end of every Youth Dynamics auction, there’s a paddle raise for a specific addition to the center’s ministry. One year that paid for the coffee bar; another year it was the game loft and laundry appliances. This year the paddle raise will begin to raise funds for an eight-passenger van.

“One reason is, we have such a huge influx of students going on trips that we need a third vehicle sometimes,” he said. “The second reason is I want to use that van to get out to other communities.”

So far, Youth Dynamics has focused mainly on Moses Lake, but Sallis is hoping to expand its outreach to other area communities: Othello, Ephrata, Soap Lake, Quincy, Royal City, Warden. 

“If we’re going to do a popup event (in one of those places) taking a 15-passenger van by myself isn’t very economical,” he said. “Or if my staff want to pick up (students) after school and drive them to Spokane to go shopping or get pretzels or something fun, that van would serve the purpose,” he said.

Back to the ’80s

Youth Dynamics Dinner and Auction

Grant County Fairgrounds Commercial Building

3953 Airway Drive NE, Moses Lake

Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

$50 per person or $400 for a table of 8

Tickets available at https://bit.ly/YDAuction26

Auctioneer Chuck Yarbro Jr. takes bids at last year’s Youth Dynamics auction. This year’s auction is Oct. 17.

    The kitchen at Youth Dynamics, where teens can have a meal in a safe, friendly environment, was paid for by past fundraiser auctions. This year’s auction is Oct. 17.