It's time for the annual We Love Northern ball

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While Saturday's We Love MSU-Northern Ball may not generate last year's record-setting funding, Soroptimists International is hopeful it will be close or even surpass last year.

"That would be nice," said Ramona Lohse, service fund treasurer for the Soroptimists. "Our ticket count is good for this time of the week."

Last year's ball, for which 189 tickets were sold, raised $9,000 for scholarships the Soroptimists provide for Northern students. That funded six scholarships awarded last spring, and four scholarships for Havre High School graduates who entered Northern this fall.

This year was the first for providing scholarships to newly graduated Havre High students, and Lohse said she hopes more will apply.

The ball, which costs $35 a ticket, starts with cocktails at 6 p.m. The Student Union Building Ballroom will be decorated in this year's romantic theme, "Amour."

Dinner is at 7 p.m., with dancing starting at 9 p.m.

There will be a silent auction throughout the night, with the featured pieces on display this week at J.M. Donoven Designs in Fine Jewely and Heirloom Jewelers until Saturday.

J.M. Donoven is donating a lady's 14-karat gold diamond and sapphire ring with a floral design.

Heirloom is donating a Montana sapphire custom pendant with diamonds.

Other items for the silent auction include jewelry donated by Bigfork silversmith Lowell Jaeger.

"He always sends a box of things over," Lohse said.

Following a nearly 20-year tradition, items from Nara, Japan, which has a friendship link with the Havre Soroptimists, will also be auctioned.

Some of the other items for the silent auction are handmade macram lawn chairs, a child's oak rocker, a Krups espresso machine, art, gift certificates and gift baskets, and a "life chest" about 2 feet tall and 1 feet wide.

Tickets for the ball are available at the Northern bookstore, Creative Leisure, Mel's Foods and Marguerite's Shop.