Terri Axness demonstrates how clay flowers are created with Kathleen Chaves, left, and Mary Tomlinson. Five types of clay flowers will be sold at the Crossroads gala fundraising event May 16. (Baker City Herald/Kathy Orr)

Once guests arrive at the Crossroads gala on May 16, all the hard work will be done.

But not forgotten.

Countless volunteers keep Crossroads Art Center up and running, and this fundraising gala is no different.

Just consider the clay flowers – daffodils, sunflowers, daisies, poppies and magnolias – that a group of volunteers made by hand under the direction of artist Terri Axness.

These clay flowers will be sold during the gala, though as a separate fundraiser from the silent auction that features all sorts of big-ticket items.

But first, the facts:

The gala begins at 5:30 p.m. May 16. The 125 tickets will all be sold in advance at $75 each. To reserve a ticket, call Kathleen Chaves at 523-8545, or e-mail kathleen@chavesconsulting.com.

This year’s theme is “Oregon Bounty: Extraordinary Tastes and Experiences of Eastern Oregon.”

“This year our gala team wanted to celebrate our own and neighboring communities, ” said Chaves, who is chair of the Crossroads gala team.

For this event, Crossroads is partnering with the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association and Oregon Bounty.

And a bounty it will be: The Western-themed dinner features Country Natural Beef, side dishes made with Oregon ingredients, huckleberry ice cream with fudge from The Sycamore Tree and caramels made by May Heriza.

Tastings before dinner include wine from Earth and Vine, focaccia bread from Baker City Cafandeacute;, bites of beef, Sexton Ranches lamb, Gilstrap wines, Blue Mountain cider, Water Mill wines, and a no-host full bar provided by Barley Brown’s Brewpub.

The auction comes after dinner, with auctioneer Scott Warner. Here is just a sample of the offered packages:

andbull; Hot air balloon ride and stay at the Boulder Creek bed and breakfast in Grant County

andbull; Hells Canyon Adventures tour with weekend stay at Pine Valley Lodge

andbull; Private flight with Wayne Bailey

andbull; A guided day hike in the Elkhorns with a catered picnic

andbull; Week-long passes to the Jeld-Wen Golf Tournament in Sunriver

Other offerings include a catered dinner, golf at Quail Ridge Golf Course, a year-long movie pass to the Eltrym Theater, tickets to the Pendleton Round-Up, horse lessons and a trail ride at TandT Horsemanship in Haines, and much more.

Remember those clay flowers? This is the fourth year Axness has organized a separate fundraiser by selling art at a lower price (as compared to the auction items).

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Proceeds from the gala help Crossroads partner with schools, the YMCA, School Site One Stop program (SOS), Eastern Oregon Regional Theatre, artists and teachers to offer art-related programs to children and adults in Eastern Oregon.

For more information, call Chaves at 523-8545, or Crossroads at 523-5369.