The 15th Annual Foley Elementary School Community Auction will have a somewhat different twist this year that will hopefully appeal to a broader audience out in the community.

Organizers are hoping that this year’s sports theme and tailgate style meal will encourage more men to attend the event and buy items. The signed sports memorabilia, from the Senior Bowl and possibly the University of Alabama players, tickets to local sporting events and a grill should also get men’s attention.

Besides these items, the typical auction items that regular attendees expect and love will still be available for purchase. Items include but are not limited to oil changes, restaurant and retail gift cards, jewelry, bags, condo packages, movie packages and artwork. A dentist has even donated $1500 towards dental work. More than 100 items will be available for live and silent auction, according to school PTO Treasurer Michele Boling.

“We have a lot of items that appeal to a great number of people,” she said. “It’s turned into the biggest fundraiser for the school. The school uses the auction because it gets the community involved. Businesses donate and community people come.”

Organizers hope that the event will appeal to a wide range of community members and not just parents of the children that attend the school. Boling said they had approximately 100 people in attendance last year, and they are hoping for 150 this year.

“It’s a fun event that people like to go to and a way to give back to the school and the community,” she said.

Boling has big hopes for this year’s auction and would love to see them double the $5,000 raised by last year’s event. She said they’ve gotten more feedback from the community this year than in the past, and they hope that will encourage even more people to attend.

“We want to get a lot of people in there, and everyone should be able to walk away with good things,” she said. “We want people to come and enjoy it. As many people as we can get there we want to be there.”

The auction will be held April 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Elementary School on Cedar Street. Tickets are $10 for adults, which includes the tailgate meal and childcare. Children will have activities and will also be fed pizza.