AWC to host annual Chirps and Chips casino night fundraiser

The Alabama Wildlife Center will host its seventh annual Chirps and Chips fundraiser at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3, at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

The casino-themed event — presented by Raptor Force, the AWC junior board — features food and drink, a silent auction, a drawing and live music from The Switchmen.

Chirps and Chips is one of the organization’s two largest fundraisers, according to AWC Executive Director Doug Adair. Ticket sales, sponsorships and auction bids provide operational funding for the organization’s conservation and education missions.

The event’s casino games will include craps, poker, roulette, blackjack and slot machines, according to Adair. The silent auction will offer a variety of items, including artwork, sports-related items and recreational packages.

“There will be something for everyone to bid on,” Adair said.

Attendees will be able to experience “up close and personal encounters” with about 10 glove-trained Alabama raptors, including owls, falcons and hawks, Adair said.

“Guests always enjoy that,” said Adair, who calls the birds “education ambassadors.”

The AWC rescues and rehabilitates almost 2,000 native birds from more than 100 species annually and presents more than 400 conservation education programs to more than 100,000 Alabamians each year, according to Adair.

Chirps and Chips also raises money for special projects, such as a new 90-foot educational enclosure that will house a young bald eagle, Adair said. 

It will also be home to a Eurasian eagle owl, the largest owl species in the world and cousin of the largest owl native to Alabama, the great horned owl.

There will likely be a ribbon-cutting in the fall, according to Adair.

Tickets are $50. Call 663-7930 or go to awrc.org.