BURLINGTON CITY — Las Vegas came to the banks of the Delaware River on Saturday night, and it came complete with a wedding chapel, a cigar lounge and, of course, the sounds of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. St. Mary’s Hall-Doane Academy’s “Viva Las Vegas!” gave more than 200 guests a taste of the gambling and entertainment mecca. The event served as a fundraiser for the private school, which sits along the river in the shadow of the Burlington-Bristol Bridge. A silent auction and live auction were part of the annual fundraising effort, which school headmaster John F. McGee said has become a major event on the Burlington County’s social calendar. “The support from this community has been so gratifying, and the funds raised are so important in keeping up this historic school,” McGee said. Items up for auction included dinner cruises, quilts that were handmade by students, tickets to a Notre Dame football game and an eight-day stay for six people at a villa in the Dominican Republic. The auctioneers, Burlington County Freeholders Vince Farias and Jim Wujcik, cajoled guests to spend, spend, spend, and many did. Last year’s auction raised $115,000 for the school, and Saturday night’s total, which was not available, will come in at “well over $100,000,” according to one of the event’s chairs, Denise Guerrieri.

Many of the guests had a special feeling for the school, which opened its doors 170 years ago.

For Chancellor Van Sciver, a member of the class of 1988, St. Mary’s Hall-Doane Academy was a family affair. His late parents, Harry and Maggie Van Sciver of Edgewater Park, were avid supporters of the school, and he and his wife had their wedding in the St. Mary’s chapel. Today, his daughter Rose, 6, is a student.

“This is a small school doing big things,” Van Sciver said. “I can’t stay away from here — it’s a huge part of my life.”

Dominic and Karen DeMarco of Burlington Township won Saturday night’s 50/50 drawing and promptly turned their windfall over to the school.

“We’re happy to support this place,” Dominic DeMarco said. “Our son, Joe, is a fifth-grade student here, and he loves the school. So do we.”

One of the happiest bidders was Jack Newman of Burlington Township. Newman and his wife, Tracy, were winners of a spiffy red scooter that they knew would delight their two St. Mary’s Hall-Doane Academy students, Connor, a fourth-grader and Brianna, a first-grader.

The only hitch, predicted Newman, was a sharing issue. Connor and Brianna’s siblings, Shannon, 4 and Liam, 2, might want their turn on the scooter, Newman said.

“And so may some of our adult neighbors,” he said, eying the red treasure. “I think we may have some older competition, too.”