The 47th annual Point Loma Association (PLA) dinner is set for Tuesday, May 19 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Liberty Station as new and old board members are inducted and retired. The PLA, charged with community beautification and enhancement, will host the event as a meeting, award ceremony, fundraiser and three-course dinner wrapped into one, according to Dorothea Laub, who has served on the board of directors for the association for two decades. The PLA is an organization of local residents and businesses committed to improving the quality of life, according to Laub. Members said that after so many years, the organization has stood and passed the test of time. “How many organizations even last that long?” asked Laub. This year will feature several components, according to Bill Klees, who chairs the association. “City Councilmember Kevin Faulconer will lead a five- to ten-minute discussion to nominate new board members for the 2009 to 2010 term,” said Klees. ” … [A]fter a vote, they will be inducted. Once selected, the new members will be installed by county Supervisor Greg Cox. Two old members will ‘re-up’ this year and three new members will be coming on.” Entertainment for the event will be a presentation and film segment created by Noah Tafolla, a local filmmaker who produces a television series called “Wonderland” on public broadcasting station KBPS. The program airs a couple times a week, highlighting points of interest and historical value in San Diego. “[Noah] will be the high point of the evening,” said Klees. “He is known around San Diego. I’m really looking forward to his presentation because of his eccentric energy.” Laub said Tafolla will be very community specific. “For our event, Noah will be talking about life in Ocean Beach and then show his film segment after the dinner before it shows on TV,” said Laub. In the place of the usual silent auction, a raffle will be held to raise money for PLA’s agenda of civic endeavors, said Laub. “It’s our first time doing a raffle and we are not putting junk out there,” said Laub. “We will raffle off five potted trees covered in gift certificates to local Point Loma restaurants and businesses.” Trees are symbolic of the PLA, which was once called the Point Loma Village Beautiful because much of the group’s replanting efforts, according to Klees. “Today, we do a lot more than planting trees,” Klees said. Examples of PLA improvements are numerous. “Most recently, we installed a drought-tolerant garden along the offramp of Catalina Boulevard from Nimitz Boulevard,” said Patti Adams, immediate past chair of PLA. “We landscaped the area, taking out the overgrowth and cleaning up the litter that had accumulated and planted trees and other fauna, creating a garden that does not use a lot of water.” Funds generated from the event go directly to support PLA’s beautification initiatives. Laub said. “While we work to improve the local area, we get no financial support from the city, “Laub said. Doors open at the Marriott hotel in Liberty Station, 2592 Laning Road, at 5:30 p.m. on May 19 with dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at www.plaweb.org/2009dinnerinvitation.pdf. Raffle tickets are $1 each or 25 for $20. For more information, visit www.plaweb.org.