On Sept. 28, football fans will gather at the Tavern to watch as the Dallas Cowboys take on the Carolina Panthers in Monday Night Football. While the game promises plenty of action, the real talk of the evening will be the star lineup of exciting items available to help support the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy in Greene and Putnam counties. The Ferst Foundation provides an age-appropriate book monthly in the mail, free of charge, for all registered children from birth to age 5, regardless of family income level.

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m., at The Tavern, which has graciously opened its entire facility to accommodate all of the activities. Participants will then be able to peruse a variety of exciting silent auction items. The emphasis is on the variety: a pair of Trace Adkins jeans, lodging in Highland, N.C., an eight-hour handyman package, a SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4GB MP3 Player with 30 minutes for instruction, and a gold and pearl necklace. The sportsmen present will be vying for the football package which includes two tickets to a UGA football game (bidder’s choice of three different games), an autographed football, and a framed print; the fox hunt at Belle Meade; professional golf and tennis lessons; a round of golf for four; and a golf package in the North Georgia mountains. Those interested in art and decorating their homes will want to bid on a Noah Desmond painting, an original watercolor painting by Ked Murray, a pair of decorative trunks, a pair of framed Oriental prints, a beveled-edged mirror, a glazed Etruscan urn, a golf-themed lamp, or a painting workshop conducted by Nan McGarity.

Not wanting to omit those with an interest in the culinary, Ferst will be offering a margarita party for 12, a wine tasting, A Taste of Britain/Dinner for eight, a luncheon for 10, an hors d’oeurves set, cocktails and dinner for 8, and a cooking demonstration by Maura Lanzarone. Bidding on silent auction items will begin at 7 p.m. and will close at 8:30 p.m. Numerous local businesses have also donated gift certificates and other door prizes.

The evening will also feature added sparkle as the Ferst Foundation raffles off two jewelry sets. The first item is an 18-karat, rose-gold, heart pendant with a half-karat of round diamonds, valued at $1,900 and donated by Whidby Jewelers of Madison. The second jewelry set is a pair of 18-karat diamond, Marquis-shaped earrings with half-carat total weight diamonds. This pair is valued at $1,550 and was donated by Aurum Jewelry in Lake Oconee Village.

For $36, guests will be able to purchase a chance to win both items. The $36 donation will support one child for one year in the foundation’s book program. Proceeds from the event will go towards continuing the Ferst Foundation Book Program in Greene and Putnam counties.

The Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy is a 501 c (3) non-profit established in 1999 to provide books for local communities to prepare Georgia preschool-age children for reading and learning success. Each month, Putnam Ferst distributes over 800 books at a cost of over $2,500 and the Greene Ferst distributes more than 600 books at a cost of more than $2,000. You may register a child to receive books online at www.ferstfoundation.org.

For more information, contact the Ferst Foundation office at 1-888-565-0177 or info@ferstfoundation.org.

The Tavern is located at 1130 Lake Oconee Parkway in Eatonton.