Out & About: 'Polka dots & plaid' event benefits Latrobe Art Center

Pattern mixing has been a fashion “do” for a while now, and Latrobe Art Center got in on the trend with its annual auction fundraiser.

“Polka Dots & Plaid” was the dress code for An Evening in the Neighborhood XII, held Nov. 13 at Latrobe Country Club, and guests happily played along with outfits sporting one or the other — or both.

The event featured live and silent auctions, prize balloons, food and drink baskets and more. On an unseasonable chilly night, guests could bid for a stay at Bahia Principe Coba Resort near Cancun, Mexico — along with memorabilia from sports stars like Evgeni Malkin, Saquon Barkley, Bill Mazeroski and a slew of Steelers.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

In the live auction was “Farm House — Graham Farm,” an oil painting by William Hoffman Jr. The live auction doesn’t usually contain artwork, said center Executive Director Lauren Buches, but the exception was made to honor the renowned Ligonier artist and his wife and fellow award-winning artist Bonnie Hoffman, as they plan a move to eastern Pennsylvania — and certainly will be missed.

The evening also paid tribute to Nancy “Laney” Rogers Crozier, co-founder of the art center and sister of Fred Rogers, who died at age 80 in March.

Auction committee members included Buches, Joe Bellack, Rosanne Bodziak, Annette Couch, Lisa Graziano, Pam Kroh, Lee Markosky, Janet Mason, Linda Miller, Jim Okonak, Rick Okonak, Bill Panasiti, Kathy Rafferty, John Sabatos, Trish Sartoris, Charles and Sharon Shepard, Marty Singer, Kathy Sobota and Georgia Teppert.