Monday, June 21 is special because it’s the summer solstice – and it’s the date of the Orcas Animal Protection Society’s seventh annual Wine-Pairing Dinner and Auction.

Attendees can celebrate the year’s latest sunset while savoring food prepared by Chef Geddes Martin at the Inn at Ship Bay. Geddes’s specially prepared menu will be complemented with

fine wines from this year’s two featured wineries, Sineann and Syncline.

Sineann Winery is a small producer in Yamhill County, Ore. It was named the 2010 Oregon Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest.

Syncline Wine Cellars is a small winery on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge.

Topping off the evening’s taste treats will be a live auction that also features fine dining and wines, including carefully selected case lots from both featured wineries, as well as gourmet dinners for eight, prepared by some of the island’s culinary stars, such as Christina Orchid of Red Rabbit Farm and Bill Patterson of Chimayo Restaurant and Sazio Supper Club.

Proceeds from the dinner and auction will help fund the Orcas animal shelter in its mission to rescue lost, strayed, and unwanted cats and dogs. So far this year, the shelter has reunited 43 lost pets with their owners, and found new homes for an additional 34 abandoned or surrendered dogs and cats.

Seating is limited for the dinner and auction, but a few tickets are still available at $150 per person. Contact the shelter at 376-6777 or email orcaspets@rockisland.com to reserve a place, and celebrate the summer solstice with a meow-velous dinner and a dog-gone good time.