A local Relay For Life team is hoping area residents will shine up their shoes and dress in their finest this weekend.

The team of IBI Data employees hosts the first annual Black & White Ball, 7 p.m. Friday at the Holiday Inn. The formal fundraising affair includes entertainment by local band Seeds at 8 p.m., a live and silent auction, door prizes and raffles. There will also be appetizers and a cash bar.

IBI team captain Dagna Simmons said black and white dressy attire is preferred, but there is no official dress code.

“We think it will be fun for people to dress up and go out dancing, because there aren’t many events like that around town,” Simmons said.

The team has already raised $1,400 with a candle sale and a scrapbook weekend for Mower County Relay For Life. They hope to raise about $3,000 more at the ball and, following further fundraising efforts, give $7,500 to the local fundraiser which benefits the American Cancer Society.

When: Doors open at 7 p.m., Friday

Where: Holiday Inn, 1701 Fourth St. NW

Tickets: $15 in advance from the Holiday Inn, Hy-Vee, or by calling 437-6258; $20 at the door

Simmons said she got the idea for the ball from similar dances in Rochester and Mason City, Iowa.

“We hope it is really successful and will become an annual event,” Simmons said.

Among items that will be sold at a silent auction and auctioned live are a three-month YMCA pass, a bowling party at Echo Lanes, a year’s supply of pie from Perkin’s, Twins’ and Vikings’ gear and gift certificates to local businesses.

Mower County Relay For Life has a fundraising goal of $102,500. The relay takes place at Veterans Pavillion/Bandshell Park in Austin on Aug. 7 and 8.

According to the American Cancer Society, the first team relay event was held in 1986, when 19 teams participated in Washington. Today, more than 4,400 relays occur throughout the United States, with more than 20 nations joining the efforts.

Tickets to the Black & White Ball are available in advance for $15 at Hy-Vee and Holiday Inn or by calling 437-6258.  Tickets will be $20 at the door.

For more information about the Mower County Relay for Life, go to www.mowercountyrelayforlife.org