JESUP, Iowa —  A couple of friends in rural Iowa are throwing themselves the birthday bash of their dreams, but not everyone in town is celebrating.

Doubling as a charity fund-raiser, the get-together in Jesup for pals named Donnie and Marie will feature four clothing-challenged waitresses from the national restaurant chain Hooters (search) selling raffle tickets. And their presence has generated a town-wide controversy.

Proceeds from the Lions Club-sponsored event, which will be held at an area golf and country club, will first go to a project at the local tennis court. The rest will be donated to the Jesup School system, which plans to earmark the money for lights for its baseball diamond.

Some residents say the fund-raiser is sending a terrible message to the community's kids.

"This community is extremely proud of the school, and to have a fund-raiser is wonderful, but not at that cost," said American Lutheran Church (search) Pastor Gene Hermeier.

The Lions Club (search) defended the event.

"If they'd come out here, I think they'd realize it's all very tasteful," said Jerry Fratzke of the Lions Club. "It's a birthday bash. We're just going to have a lot of fun. I think they'd be surprised that there's really nothing bad going on."

The school district isn't directly affiliated with the fund-raiser and hasn't yet indicated whether it will accept the donation from the party, though its superintendent has suggested officials probably will.

Click on the video box at the top of this story to watch a report by FOX News' Jeff Goldblatt.