On Oct. 28, the Clocktower will become a center for the ghoulish and macabre as St. Dominic School hosts an auction and Halloween ball with proceeds going toward various school projects. Actress and BHS alum Vanessa Hernandez will make an appearance. (Keri Luiz/File photo)

Things will get a little spooky at the Clocktower next weekend. Thankfully, all the scares will be for a good cause as St. Dominic School hosts its Halloween Ball and Auction.

According to auction chair Kyra Meister, this is the first time Benicia’s PreK-8 Catholic school has hosted a community Halloween event, and she figured it would be a good way to raise money for the school. Meister began planning the event a year in advance by hitting all the Halloween stores she could and buying decorations every day.

“I lived and breathed this,” she said.

The event will feature a lot of lavish, atmospheric props such as a fog machine and holographic ghosts on stage. There will also be a lot of fun activities and features for adults, including a costume contest, a specialty bar, dinner and appetizers catered by Venticellos Ristorante Italiano and Palermos Cucina Italiana and a dessert menu. The centerpiece of the event is the live and silent auction. The silent auction opens on Monday and closes the night of the event. The live auction will be held on the Clocktower premises during the event. Attendees can bid on such items as restaurant gift cards, sports memorabilia, Benicia business discounts, museum tickets, Disneyland passes, a laptop and gift baskets donated by classes at St. Dominic School.

Although the students will be too young to attend the event, St. Dominic pupils will benefit from the event in a big way. The school is participating in the 1313 Challenge, where each class is striving to raise a fund of $1,313. The class that becomes lucky enough to reach this goal will get to participate in a Deja Vu Halloween Festival on Friday, Nov. 3. Instead of going to school, the winning class will be treated to a party on the Liberty High School field where they can wear their Halloween costumes again, enjoy pizza and ice cream, and watch the top fundraiser in their class dump “slime” on their teacher. The proceeds will help pay for scholarships, teacher wishlist items and a new student garden.

Another feature of the event will be an appearance by actress and Benicia High School graduate Vanessa Hernandez. Hernandez lives in Los Angeles and has a number of movie and TV credits to her name, including a recurring role as a nurse on NBC’s award-winning drama “This is Us.” She will be stopping by St. Dominic to talk to the kindergarten through fourth-grade classes on Friday, Oct. 27 about working in Hollywood as well as her current projects. She will be present at the auction the following night, and people will even have a chance to bid on a one-on-one conversation with her the following day before she flies back to L.A.

“It’s an opportunity for a family or their kids who are interested in the business and what it takes,” Meister said.

Meister knew Hernandez through a previous job at Benicia Cat Clinic where Hernandez’s mother takes her cats. Meister reached out to Hernandez about the prospect of coming back to Benicia to share her experiences with St. Dominic students.

“She was very excited about helping us,” she said. “She’s very into being a mentor to kids.”

The proceeds from the auction will fund what Meister calls “a school spirit makeover.” This includes a fresh coat of paint in the school’s colors, umbrellas for the picnic tables, shade for the preschool area and other improvements. The funds will also continue to fund the school’s technology program.

The St. Dominic School Halloween Ball and Auction will be held at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 at the Clocktower, located at 1189 Washington St. Tickets are $50 per person and are available online at https://sdbenicia.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/HalloweenBallAuction2017 or in person at St. Dominic School’s box office, located at 935 East 5th St. The event is only open to adults 21 and older. For more information, go to sdsauction.com.

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