Comb through the closet and find that formal wear. Get ready for a night of glitz. Put on your party hat. It’s time for a night of fun and fundraising known as “Bids for Kids,” the ninth annual dinner auction that benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Oak Harbor, to be held 5:30 to 8 p.m., Saturday, March 8, at the Roller Barn on Barron Drive.

“It’s a great night of fun that everyone can feel confident in the money staying here in town,” said Vicki Harring, board member, Boys and Girls Club of Oak Harbor.

Everyone’s invited to stop by the Elks Lodge Friday, from 5 to 8 p.m., and take a sneak peek of all the gardens up for auction and items up for bid. Come meet the garden designers, suppliers of auction and garden items, Boys and Girls Club kids and boardmembers. Mix and mingle and enjoy free wine, beer, snacks and more.

Bids for Kids is the premier fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Oak Harbor. Last year’s Bids for Kids auction dinner raised $120,000 for the club, and organizers are hoping to meet or exceed that this year.

Currently, the Boys and Girls Club is without an executive director after Roosevelt Rumble departed the club in 2006. If enough funds are raised from the auction, the board members say that rehiring a new executive director is a top priority in this year’s $200,000 budget.

“We hope by the end of June to have a full-time director hired,” Harring said.

In the meantime, the club’s board and staff — currently under the guidance of Boys and Girls Club of Snohomish County — work to provide youth programs for the children of Oak Harbor that help develop good character traits, leadership skills and positive self-esteem.

There are 200-plus members at the Oak Harbor club, and 30 to 60 kids flock to the club each day for after-school activities, crafts, games and homework help.

Club membership is just $20 a year to be able to stop by after school, five days a week and join in on club activities for either free or nominal cost.

“A lot of kids need someone to talk to or a place to go after school,” Harring said. “They can come here, be around other kids, and know it’s a safe and supportive place.”

Monday’s roller skating sessions are really popular, as are the once-a month teen “VIP” activity nights.

Board member Becky King is proud of the club’s leadership learning and programs such as Smart Girls, which brings girls together in a safe environment in which they can grow as leaders and individuals.

“I came to the Boys and Girls Club because I wanted to be a part of an organization that really taught kids to be leaders, and I found that here,” King said.

Bids for Kids is an opportunity for attendees to win auction items varying from sporting event ticket packages, a plethora of gift baskets, Kenmore Air tickets, fine art, portrait gift packages, theater tickets, spa and beauty packages, dining gift certificates, party packages, horseback riding lessons, vacation getaways and more.

Would you like a chance to win a “Hearts on Fire” right hand ring rightly titled “Enjoyment” that glitters with three rows of diamonds? The piece is donated by Gloria Carothers, owner of the Jewelry Gallery. The “Diamonds in a Glass” raffle tickets will only be sold at the “Bids for Kids” dinner and auction, and there are only 52 tickets available making it quite possible that you could join Geri Morgan, Lynn Goebel, and Diane Pierce, all past winners, in holding the winning ticket — and gorgeous jewels.

If you can’t attend the auction but still want to help the club, donations are always accepted and volunteers always appreciated and in need.

“We need volunteers to help with every facet of the club,” King said. “From boardmembers to people to organize events such as the auction.”