Service club raises money for shelter

Jerry and Lori Herman of Rossford pause during the Hidden Gardens party at Schedel Arboretum and Gardens on Sunday.

Morrison / Blade photo

An Art Gala presented by the Zonta Club of Lenawee County, Michigan, a service club that helps women and children, took place Saturday at Flatlanders Art Gallery in Blissfield, Mich. The Impressions, a group of alumni of Toledo School for the Arts, played soft jazz as guests perused the silent auction of art objects and supped on delicious edibles by Evans Street Station.

Strolling through the galleries, one heard the mellow sounds of flutist Mandy Kruse. Then, amid the artists' tools and equipment, silent and live auctions of goodies including dinner certificates, golf clubs, tax-return preparation, vacation packages, gift baskets, and a bamboo table enticed guests to spend, spend, spend. Guests also could watch ceramics and aluminum-casting demonstrations. Proceeds supported the Catherine Cobb Domestic Violence Shelter in Adrian, a scholarship fund, and other projects. Among the more than 125 present were chairmen Mary Gilson and Beth Maisonville and president Sharon Weber.

Mary Gilson, left, and Sharon Weber attend the Art Gala fund-raiser at Flatlanders.

SCHEDEL GARDENS, tucked away in Elmore, Ohio, was the place to be Sunday afternoon. It was a chance to see the lush grounds filled with breathtaking flowers, shrubs, and trees that create serene settings, accented with sculptures. The gardens are open to the public, but this particular afternoon was for a special "Hidden Gardens Party," a fund-raiser for the upkeep of the gardens. The event netted about $30,000.

Guests strolled about as a Toledo Symphony string quartet played and artists created. Manny Enriquez chiseled away at his 6,000-pound piece of Portuguese pink marble as Walter Chapman, Pete Beckmann, Larry Golba, Donna Hardy, and Rick Dziak painted masterpieces that were auctioned off that day. In addition to fabulous art, auction items included the work of a Schedel gardener for an afternoon in your garden, 100 mums planted, a Japanese Bonsai plant, and other shrubs and bulbs from the Schedel collection. Barbara and John Whalen, the auctioneer, donated a piece of Labino glass, as did Pat and Bob Maurer, and they bought each other's pieces.

Taking a respite from the sunny afternoon, some guests ventured into the Trellis Gallery, where there was an art exhibit. Among the 200 visitors were Jonathan and Catherine Heigel, Pat and Marilyn McAlear, Jean and Janet Ward, Tom and Carol Pletz, Marty and Kathy Holmes, Frank and Gail Lazzaro, Chris and Martha Thornberry, Doug and Sondra Samsen, Phil and Mary Lou Roudolph, Jr., Jerry and Angie Batt, Greg Silloway, Phil and Sue Carginio, Sharon and Bennett Speyer, Dick and Dolly Flasck, Dorothy Bassett, Dick and Libby Ruppert, Helen McMaster, Paulette Bond, Larry Hutson, and Rodney and Pat Noble, who donated a stay in a Longboat Key, Fla., condo, which brought the biggest bid in the auction.

Honorary chairmen were Ashel Bryan, Ed and Linda Reiter, and Larry Dillin. Event chairman was Cheryl Hardy.

EVERYBODY IS STILL talking about the fun they had at the eighth annual "It's Time to Go Bonkers at the Hahns" party Aug. 28. And "thank-you notes keep rolling in," said a delighted Darlene Hahn, who lives in Stone Oak with her husband, David. Everyone looks forward to the end-of-the-season bash. The Hahns set up tents this year as insurance for good weather, and it worked - the weather was perfect. Guests - mainly neighbors in Stone Oak - traveled over in their golf carts for some Polish food from Malczewski Catering, including mashed potatoes, sweet-and-sour cabbage, kielbasa, and chicken. Not Polish, but always soothing after the heavy meal, were the ice cream truffles brought by a friend. Of course, the Bonkers band was the featured entertainment, and folks danced into the wee hours. Mr. Hahn joked the police have stopped coming because the Hahns invited all the neighbors.

Jerry and Lori Herman of Rossford pause during the Hidden Gardens party at Schedel Arboretum and Gardens on Sunday.

REMINISCING ABOUT the Olympics are folks at Perrysburg Commons Retirement Center. But they aren't talking about the Olympics in Greece. They're talking about their own Olympics celebration that coincided with the official competition last month. Residents and staff competed for gold, silver, and bronze in the ring toss, golf putting, horseshoes, watermelon-seed spitting, and more. Closing ceremonies were Aug. 27 with an ice cream social.

THE DINING PORCH of the Garden restaurant in Port Clinton was a sea of red hats in June as 46 members of six area Red Hat Societies celebrated their first-place finish in the Port Clinton Walleye Festival parade.

Gerri Gill, a member of the Sunset Sweeties Red Hat group in Port Clinton, said societies from Oak Harbor and Port Clinton took first place in the noncommercial float category for their float done up in purple and red.

Red Hat members wear purple dresses with their red hats, bags, shoes, and other accessories. One woman in the Garden group even sported a stylish red boa. The colors and the origin of the group were inspired by the Jenny Joseph poem, "Warning," also known as the "When I am Old I Shall Wear Purple" poem in which an older woman proudly wears purple clothing with a red hat.