By STEVE EIGHINGER

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

The Quincy Area Branch of the Alzheimer's Association hopes to reach $30,000 for the first time in the seven-year history of its auction/pro-am golf tournament fundraiser.

For the first time, the public is invited to attend the dinner/auction the night before the golf event.

"We have so many great things this year to auction off in support of the work of the Alzheimer's Association that we wanted everyone to have the opportunity to bid on them," said Janet Veach, branch manager of the Quincy Area Chapter.

The dinner and auction are Thursday at the Ambiance, 5225 Koch's Lane, beginning with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20.

The golf tournament, which already has a maximum of 24 teams, will be Friday at Spring Lake Country Club. A shotgun start is scheduled for 11 a.m.

The 2007 auction/pro-am raised $27,000 of the Quincy Area Branch's $125,000 budget.

Among the items to be auctioned off are Cardinals-Cubs tickets, a Trevor Immelman autographed Masters flag from Augusta National, a baseball item autographed by St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols, Kenny Chesney "Poets and Pirates" tour tickets, backyard blues picnic, original artwork from Quincy artists and a ladies pampering package.

"Our goal as an association is to bring everyone together to support local Alzheimer's education and services," said Marci Musolino, pro-am chairman.

Also a part of the dinner/auction schedule is the drawing for a 2008 Honda Metropolitan scooter, which gets 100 miles to the gallon. The winner need not be present to win, according to Veach, whose office has been selling 100 tickets for $10 apiece.

Major corporate sponsors are Comcast Spotlight, Terrible's Mark Twain Casino, Miller Lite, Noxin Trucking, the Business Centre, Gully Transportation and the Ambiance.

"This is always a great time, but the bottom line is the money that will be raised," Veach said. "Alzheimer's is a fatal disease that one in six women and one in 10 men who reach age 55 can expect to develop."

Alzheimer's impairs memory, reasoning, motor skills and the ability to take care of oneself. An estimated 5 million-plus Americans now have Alzheimer's, including 3,400 in the West-Central Illinois region serviced by the Quincy Area Branch.

For more information about the fundraiser or Alzheimer's in general, contact the Quincy Area Branch at (217) 228-1111.

--seighinger@whig.com/221-3377