Join coaches, parents and friends of Edmonds-Woodway High School athletics at the first-ever wine-tasting fundraiser for school athletic programs, set for 6-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. Sample regional Northwest regional wines and local Edmonds cuisine. Tickets at the door are $25 per couple, $15 solo. There will be a raffle for prizes and “best of class” wine-tasting contests. Alternative refreshments will also be available.

At the end of the evening, attendees will have an opportunity to donate to the EW Athletic Booster Club (you may designate a specific sport), any of the school’s feeder teams, or the Scholar Athlete Scholarship Fund.

“We hope this will be the first of an annual event to bring the communtiy together for a fun event at a beautiful facility,” Edmonds-Woodway girls basketball coach Duane Hodges said. “What a great way to kick off the school year, to promote our local economy and business community, and to help fund our local athletic programs.”

Hodges noted that the event “is not just a push to buy new gear and uniforms, but to engage the youth in our community to participate in athletics as a means of development. We believe there is a strong correlation between graduation rate and participation in athletics among other benefits.”