Purple Tie Tiger Tailgate: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Purple Tie Tiger Tailgate?  

The Purple Tie Tailgate is a casual evening event, featuring dinner, a full bar, live and silent auctions, a raise the paddle, various raffle prizes, a reverse raffle and live entertainment by the KAMP band. All proceeds from the event will benefit Darlington’s parent organizations: Pre-K to 8 and Upper School Tiger PRIDE, the Fine Arts Booster Club and the Athletic Booster Club. 

When is the Purple Tie Tiger Tailgate?

The Purple Tie Tailgate will be on Saturday, Aug.12, from 6:30-10 p.m. in the Johnson Field House (Huffman Athletic Center) at Darlington School, 1014 Cave Spring Road Rome, GA 30161.

How much are the tickets, and where do I get them? 

• Event ticket ($85): General admission includes open seating, dinner, and a full bar.

• Patron table ($1,250): Be a Patron of the event by buying a table for your business or simply for you and seven other friends. Includes a reserved table, dinner and a full bar for eight, and 16 Purple Box tickets (two per person). Patron tables will include recognitions on the ticker scroll, Purple Tie auction website and the Purple Tie Tailgate page in the Fall Sports and Winter Musical programs.

• Front Row Patron Table ($2,000): Front row patron tables can be purchased for $2,000, which includes all of the above patron benefits. Only SIX are available!

• "Treat a Teacher" ticket ($85): Treat your favorite teacher with one or more tickets to the event!

Click here to purchase tickets on the event website. Event tickets and patron table sales will end on Aug. 5.

What is the attire for the event?

The theme is “Tiger Tailgate!” Come dressed in your favorite Darlington tailgate attire. That can be a purple polo, a Darlington t-shirt with jeans or shorts, a purple dress, Tiger apparel and more!

Click here to check out the gallery from last year for more ideas on what to wear.

Are children allowed? 

No, this is an adult-only evening. You must be 21 or older to attend.

Can I bring friends and family from outside of Darlington School? 

Yes! Please bring your friends and family and show them how great our community is!

What can I expect at the event? 

The night begins with drinks at 6:30 p.m. and time to browse our silent auction and Purple Box items. The KAMP band will provide entertainment, and dinner will begin at 7 p.m. Later in the evening, we will have our live auction and raffle ticket drawing. 

How do the various auctions and raffles work? 

• Online silent auction: Our silent auction will be available to preview online, and bidding will begin a few days before the event. Don't miss the opportunity to bid on priceless Darlington packages, sports tickets and a variety of goods and services from local businesses. You do not have to attend the event to bid and win items. Stay tuned for updated information on how to bid!
• Live auction: We will have a select number of live auction items led by local auctioneer Lou Dempsey (’87, LD ’17), who will be announcing each item and starting bid amount. People will bid on the item by holding up their paws with their bidding number that they were given at check-in. The auctioneer will continue increasing the bid amount until it is finally sold to the highest bidder. Live auction items are traditionally our most unique and big-ticket items. We also have a “Raise the Paw” in which people donate a dollar amount that goes to a specific item the school needs. This year’s Raise the Paw will benefit special projects in the Pre-K to 8.
• Reverse Raffle: Each raffle ticket is $100. Each ticket will buy you a 1 in 300 chance to win $10,000! The raffle drawing will be held at the event, but you do not have to be present to win. The winner is responsible for all tax obligations. Click here to purchase. 
• Purple Box Raffle: Our Purple Box tickets cost $20 for 5 or $50 for 15. Write your name on the back and place them in the purple boxes designated for your desired item at the event. Spread your tickets out or put them all in one to increase your chances of winning! Purple box tickets may be purchased online or at the event. Click here to purchase.

Can I donate to the auction?

Many members of our community generously donate auction items from their businesses or businesses they frequent. Some examples include sport and event tickets, stays at vacation homes, gift cards, golf outings and much more. If you have an auction item that you would like to donate, please complete the form here or email us at purpletie@darlingtonschool.org.

Amazon Wishlist: You can also purchase items from the wishlist that we would love to see at the auction! This makes donating easy as items are delivered straight to the school. 

How can I help?  

We cannot put on this event without your help! We need volunteers for set-up, clean-up, ticket sales, check-in/out, set up auction items, etc. We are also still collecting auction items, so please consider making a donation or volunteering to send out solicitation requests. Contact purpletie@darlingtonschool.org if you wish to help or donate.