Mizell Memorial Hospital Foundation board president Ted Roquemore said Tuesday that ticket sales for Mizell’s annual Foundation Gala are on target to generate an estimated $30,000 in proceeds for the hospital’s wellness center.

Roquemore said “a few, but not many” tickets remain available for the foundation’s only fund-raiser, which is tonight at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Opp, and will feature the comedy of Bob Farmer and the Farmers’ Almanac.

This is the fifth year all proceeds from event ticket sales, minus expenses, have been designated to cover operational costs for the wellness center, he said.

“The purpose of the foundation, which was formed about seven years ago, is to assist the hospital in any way we can to help provide excellent medical care for our community,” he said. “In the past that has meant purchasing specialized equipment for doctor’s offices and providing nursing scholarships for area high school students, but for the last five years, and for the next several years, all the money we raise will go towards the wellness center.”

Roquemore said at the beginning of the wellness center project, foundation funds were used to cover the expenses incurred “in getting it off the ground.”

“Now that (the center) is open, all our proceeds will go to day-to-day operations,” he said. “The hospital has to cover a $2 million note, so we do what we can to make sure the hospital has money to make its loan payment.”

The fund-raising goal for each annual event is $30,000, he said.

Tickets are $50 each and that price includes a prime rib dinner and entertainment, he said. Forty percent of the ticket price is tax deductible.

“People can expect plenty of down home, family-style humor through anecdotes, remedies, and stories from the official national spokesperson of the Old Farmers’ Almanac,” he said. “Bob’s style is described as a good mix between Will Rogers and Jerry Clower. It’s going to be a real enjoyable evening.”

Opp’s nationally renowned dual pianists, the Rainer Twins, will provide dinner music beginning at 7 p.m., followed by entertainment at 8 p.m.

Tickets are available at Mizell Memorial Hospital, CCB Community Bank and the Opp & Covington County Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, call 493-3541.