They came together, ate peanut butter and pickled herring and drank warm beer. They were survivors.

As winners of the first challenge of the night celebrated, nearly 1,000 people enjoyed a beach-inspired dinner during the "Survival Beach Bash" at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Saturday night.

The fund-raising event to benefit the Skate Winston Activity Park had a tropical flair with the seafood menu, beach decorations -- and true survivors.

Stars of the television reality show "Survivor: All-Stars" Jenna Morasca, Rudy Boesch, Rupert Boneham and Ethan Zohn won the hearts of the audience as they took center stage, shared their experiences and joined in the fun.

"It's so nice that they would come to a small town and do this," said Jeannie Clark, 20, of Roseburg.

Clark and two friends, Rachel Ferder, 21, and Kara Gross, 15, both of Roseburg, had a blast running after their favorite Survivors and taking pictures. And they couldn't wait to participate in one of the challenges.

"We put hundreds of (pieces of paper) with our names!" Ferder said, laughing.

Throughout the night people had the chance to participate in other challenges, such as the Survivor look-alike contest, as well as bid on auction items ranging from boats and trips to the Oregon Coast to skateboards autographed by the "Survivor" stars.

The four Survivors spent the day visiting different places in Douglas County, including the skate park's future location and the Wildlife Safari, where they had the chance to play with the cheetahs and feed the giraffes.

"I loved the Safari! It was so much fun," Morasca said to the crowd.

But the night, the bash -- the cause -- was what really brought them here.

"It's so fun and flattering to have so many people here to see us," Morasca said. "I love that people love the show so much."

"It's always great to use this pseudo-celebrity power we have for such a good cause."

And if the challenges and the fun didn't make the fans feel like they were somehow part of the real show, the dinner menu took them right back to some of the remote areas where "Survivor" took place.

The menu included salad, bread and cioppino, a seafood stew with crab legs, octopus, shrimp and fish. For dessert, brownies decorated with fake bugs completed the Survivor-inspired menu.

"I think this is a fantastic event. We are all survivors!" joked Winston Mayor Rex Stevens.

The idea of bringing the "Survivor" stars for the fund-raising came from a fan of the show, Bev Heyer. As a a member of the Winston City Council, Heyer has been actively involved in the skate park project.

Along with Heyer, a committee has worked incessantly since March to guarantee the night's success. Larry Mudge of Sutherlin, one of the event's organizers, said the night was the result of a community effort.

"We really wanted this neighborhood feeling," Mudge said. "The community has come together amazingly well for this cause."

Committee members organized the menu and the challenges, high school students from Sutherlin, Roseburg and Douglas high schools prepared the decorations, the Skate Winston Activity Park members worked as the event's stage crew, and volunteers cooked, served, cheered the crowd and kept the night moving smoothly.

Mudge expected to raise more than $25,000 for the 13,000-square-foot park Saturday.

"It's a drop in the bucket. We need $300,000," Mudge said. "But everything is falling fast into place. We're hoping to break ground in April."

The park will be built at the Civic Wayside Park behind the city hall. The initial designs have been finished but they still need to raise nearly $200,000, said Curtis Mudge, a member of the Skate Winston Activity Park committee and Larry Mudge's son.

He said the group was overwhelmed with so much support.

"It's so good to see the community together," he said. "The kids will be very proud of the park."



* You can reach reporter Juliana Renno at 957-4230 or by e-mail at jrenno@newsreview.info.