"Escape to Cooks' Island" was the theme of the eighth annual Heartland Family Service Strike a Chord fundraiser Aug. 3.

The event, at Harrah's convention center in Council Bluffs, raised $60,000 for Heartland Family Service. It included dueling pianos, a wine pull, a celebrity art auction, live and silent auctions, and a raffle sponsored by the Council Bluffs Walmart and Harrah's Stir Concert Cove.

Dave and Jody Edwards were event hosts. Their daughter, Brooke Hubbard, is Mrs. United States Iowa 2011, and she named Heartland Family Service as her charity of choice during her reign. At the event she assisted Matt Wilber, who served as master of ceremonies.

Highlights of the evening included an art contest of original works by local "celebrity artists" - chefs who created original designs on glass platters auctioned that night. René Orduña of Dixie Quicks won the People's Choice Award. Other artists included Elaine Fenner, Margarite Goodenow, Deb Gordon and Dan Peterson.