The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s 25th annual Mission Creek Gala: Flora & Fauna raised a total of $665,000, including $300,000 that promptly came in when Luke J. Swetland, museum president/CEO, made an appeal to the crowd.

The sold-out event at the museum on April 12 attracted 207 guests, who enjoyed a creekside reception that included interactive stations, a mushroom tasting station, the Rattler signature cocktail; and bites from Duo Catering & Events.

Citrus Orchard tableau guests Brenda Reiter, Hank and Mari Mitchel, and Tom Cusack wear colorful framed glasses as they enjoy an evening at Natural History Museum. (Clint Weisman photo)
Citrus Orchard tableau guests Brenda Reiter, Hank and Mari Mitchel, and Tom Cusack enjoy an evening at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. (Clint Weisman photo)

Attendees found Fleischmann Auditorium transformed into a woodland scene, with a majestic oak tree as the centerpiece. Its limbs formed a canopy over the candlelit tables. The room design was created by Joy Full Events, Inc. and Hogue & Co..

Five sponsored tableaux added the final touches to the scene with the themes Moss & Mushroom, Mountain Lion Den, Rattlesnake Canyon, Poppies & Lupine, and Citrus Orchard. Each vignette was a tribute to the natural world.

Salvatore Milazzo, Museum Board chair welcomed guests. Speakers included two participants in the Quasars to Sea Stars program, a work/study/internship opportunity for teens at the museum.

Dorian Scheim shared details about their time in the program, and Sophia Copeland spoke about the museum’s importance.

Funds raised by the Mission Creek Gala sustains the museum’s nature and science education programs that touch the lives of thousands of schoolchildren annually through field trips, camps and classes at the Natural History Museum, and the Sea Center on Stearn’s Wharf.

Since its inaugural year in 2000, the annual Mission Creek Gala has raised more than $8 million for the museum’s school programs.

Among programs supported by the event is the Museum Access Fund (MAF), a scholarship program provided by the museum to visiting school groups in need of financial assistance.

Title I schools (with a 50% or greater enrollment in the federal Free or Reduced-Price Meal Program) are eligible to visit the museum and enjoy a field trip program for just $50. With the help of donors, the museum is expanding the number of schools covered by the program.

The Mission Creek Gala’s honorary committee was made up of Stacey Byers, Sheri Eckmann, Venesa Faciane, Lucy Firestone, Elisabeth Fowler, Heather Hambleton, Ken Kelly, Amanda Lee, Bobbie Kinnear, Karen Nicholson, and Susan Parker.

For more about the museum and how to support its programs, visit sbnature.org.