Katy Sip N Stroll returns Nov. 7 to benefit Christ Clinic

The 32nd annual Katy Sip N Stroll is going neon this fall, with auction proceeds headed to a nonprofit clinic that treats thousands of uninsured neighbors each year.

The event takes over The ARK by Norris from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, under the theme "Let's Glow!" Guests are encouraged to wear neon, pick up glow gear at an on-site Glow Bar offering body paint and accessories, and compete for a Best Neon Costume Award.

Presented by Kroger, the evening will feature more than 300 beverages and signature bites from more than 35 area restaurants, according to The Katy News. Stations include a 60-foot Kroger Experience Alley gourmet marketplace, a Spirits Patio with small-batch bourbons and premium tequilas, a Desserts District, and The Backroom Speakeasy serving prohibition-era cocktails. The two-man band Shang & Byron performs on the Aruba Live Music Stage.

General admission tickets are $65. A VIP upgrade to the Designer Plastic Surgery VIP Lounge costs $110 and adds early admission, exclusive lounge seating, passed hors d'oeuvres, a commemorative tasting glass and a swag bag. Tickets are available at sipandstroll.com.

Where the money goes

Proceeds from the live auction, silent auction and party wagon raffle benefit Christ Clinic, a faith-based nonprofit on Schlipf Road that has provided free and low-cost medical care to uninsured and underinsured Katy-area residents since 2011. The clinic serves about 5,000 patients a year, offering primary care, chronic disease management, specialty visits and low-cost prescriptions, KPRC 2 reported in January.

"Even in a community surrounded by world-class healthcare, many families still fall through the cracks," Christ Clinic Executive Director Lara Mautz said in a Sept. 10 statement announcing the event. "Support from Katy Sip N Stroll allows us to provide physician visits, diagnostic testing, medications, and ongoing care for neighbors who otherwise might go without treatment."

In a January interview with KPRC 2, Mautz said the clinic sees 5,000 individuals a year and noted that "poverty looks different here than it does in the inner city, but there's a huge need."