CCA banquet today at Cyr-Gates

More than 500 people are expected to attend tonight's local fundraising banquet for Coastal Conservation Association-Louisiana.

The CCA-Louisiana's Sugar chapter has scheduled its second annual fundraising banquet to start at 5:30 p.m., when the doors open at the Cyr-Gates Community Center.

The meal will be served at 7 p.m., followed by a live auction at 8 p.m.

Sugar chapter president Kirk Sieber of St. Martinville said early ticket sales indicate 500-plus people will be at the event.

The chapter's inaugural banquet drew an eye-opening crowd of more than 400 area outdoorsmen when held last fall.

One of tonight's live auction items is a pair of tickets on the 45-yard line to the LSU-Virginia Teche football game at Tiger Stadium, set for Sept. 8.

Tickets and corporate tickets are available by calling Sieber at 364-2466, Corry Landry at (337) 201-0193, or Rad Trascher at (225) 952-9200.

Tickets are $50 per person, which includes a one-year membership in CCA, admission, dinner and open bar, Trascher said.

An eight-ticket package for reserved corporate tables is $400.

Outdoorsman are encouraged to bring the whole family to support the nonprofit conservation organization that has been a watchdog along the coast of Louisiana.

Special-priced spouse/associate tickets are available for $30 and youth tickets (17 and under) are $25, he said.