Guests will enjoy heavy pupus, cocktails and buffets, live entertainment and the opportunity to do some "sneak preview" shopping in the new 210,000-square-foot specialty store. The highlight of the evening will be a full runway fashion show of American and European designer spring collections in a tent adjacent to the store. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The event, entirely underwritten by Nordstrom, is expected to raise $300,000 to be shared equally among the three organizations.

Honorary Chairs for the evening are Al and Sue Landon. The event co-chairs are Allison Holt Gendreau, Beth Bowlen Harbottle and Jean Rolles.

Tickets for the opening gala are $150 per person. For more information, please call the Hawaii Theatre Center at 723-1879.

Tickets will go on sale to the public on Nov. 27. There is a limit of 10 tickets per person. Nordstrom Ala Moana Center will open on March 7, 2008.

The mission of Bishop Museum is to study, preserve, and tell the stories of the natural and cultural history of Hawaii and the Pacific. Bishop Museum is recognized as the principal museum of the Pacific, housing the world's largest collection of Hawaiian and Pacific artifacts and natural history specimens. For more information visit www.bishopmuseum.org or call 847-3511.

The Hawaii Theatre Center was established in 1984 as a private nonprofit organization to restore and operate the historic Hawaii Theatre as a multi-purpose performance facility for artistic, cultural, entertainment and educational events and to promote the redevelopment of the downtown Honolulu/Chinatown area. Listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places, the 1,400-seat Hawaii Theatre was recognized by the League of Historic American Theatre as the 2005 Outstanding Historic Theatre in America. In 2006, the organization received a National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Theatre celebrated its 85th anniversary in September.

HUGS (Help, Understanding & Group Support) is a non-profit agency whose mission is to provide a wide variety of free support services to families across the state, who have a child, birth to age 21, diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness or a medically fragile condition. HUGS volunteers provide family support, hospital visits, and respite care. The agency is a common link in the state of Hawaii for families experiencing similar problems as a result of their child's illness. On any given day, HUGS serves approximately 150 families across the state. HUGS has supported Hawaii's seriously ill children and their families, free of charge, for more than 25 years.