All Dawson County residents are invited to come out for a night of fun, food and music at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame Museum at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Dawsonville Municipal Complex, 415 Hwy. 53 East.

A $15 donation at the door includes a plate of spaghetti for dinner and a raffle ticket for a chance to win a show-ready, mint condition, 1967 Chevy II Nova.

The event is a fundraiser for Dawson County Sheriff’s Deputy Mickey Gilbertson, who is in need of a kidney transplant.

Gilbertson has medical insurance, which will cover some of the costs of the procedure, but will hardly make a dent in the total costs of the transplant.

All proceeds and donations from this event will help with those costs.

The deputy was matched with a donor, Tom, about a year ago. Tom is described by the family as, “a blessing from God.”

Amy Cox, organizer of the event and sister-in-law to Gilbertson, said she, “could not put on this event without the support of this community.”

Food Lion, Ingles, Kroger and Wal-Mart are providing all the food that will be served at the event.

“Mickey has been a giver all of his life,” said Cox. “He has been in law enforcement over 40 years.”

Cox said that the main goal of this event is to help someone who gives back to the community because, “he deserves it and needs it.”

Gilbertson has been a member of the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office for a little more than eight years, and has been suffering from kidney problems for about a year and a half.

He started working for the Dawson County Sheriffs Office in 2000. He has served as a reserve officer, and also in both the warrant and civil service divisions.

The event will also feature a cake walk with live music from local talents; The Sunnyside & Band and Terry Dean, Feedback featuring Wendell Cox of Travis Tritt’s country club band on steel guitar, and also a live auction.

Anyone who brings a cake to donate to the cake walk will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a $100 “gift card gift basket” full of coupons and gift cards from a variety of places in Dawson County, such as Longhorn, Steamers Coffee and many others.

For more information, contact Cox at (706) 216-1057 or (678) 283-7341.

E-mail Elizabeth Hamilton at elizabeth@dawsonnews.com.