ON THE TOWN

Party-goers raise glasses to charitable causes

7/27/2014

Spirits flowed at many fund-raising events.

YAPPY HOUR! hosted by Caper’s Restaurant and Bar for the Toledo Area Humane Society was a fun evening of music, food, and raffle and door prizes. The July 22 event, attended by 80 supporters, reaped more than $1,800. In addition, it was a chance to see the humane society’s ReTail Shop next door to Caper’s. The resale business has everything from furniture and clothing to books and electronics. There is also a cat adoption room to tempt cat lovers who see a cute cat to take home.

Great Gardens & ‘s’Wine! A wine tasting and pig roast sponsored by Shindler, Neff, Holmes, Worline & Mohler, LLP law offices was July 18 at Schedel Arboretum & Gardens in Elmore.

Guests strolled past breathtaking landscapes and flowers into the lower level of the 17-acre garden estate, where a huge white tent with red and white checked tablecloths set the scene as the Bourbon Street Band played rock, rhythm, and blues tunes.

PHOTO GALLERY: Click here for photos from these events

 

Stellas’s and Swig restaurants sated appetites with an old-fashioned pig roast with all the fixin’s. Wine Trends offered tastes of fine wines.

Also fun were the silent auction, wine raffle, and 50/50 raffle. The evening ended with the sellout crowd of 250 party-goers packing the dance floor.

About $7,500 was netted for the Schedel Foundation for the study and appreciation of nature and the arts.

Seen were former Schedel director Reg Noble and his wife, Sherry, celebrating their 56th wedding anniversary, plus Phil “P.J.” Rudolph, Jr., and wife Mary Lou, Tom and Mary Noe, Jack and Cyndi Sculfort, Paul and Ginny Toth, Pat and Marilyn McAlear, Gregg Kearns, and Cathy Miller.

The next big to-do at Schedel is the Wood- Stock Music & Arts Festival on Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to midnight. The event includes a classic car show, an Artists’ Village with a juried fine arts show, eclectic noshes, and lots of music. VIP tickets are $45 ($50 day of show) and include two drink tickets, seating, VIP bistro bar area, and restrooms. Or go for general admission at $25 ($30 day of show) and bring your own lawn chair or blanket.

BITTERSWEET Farms near Whitehouse, which serves adults with autism, hosted a wine tasting and Community Supported Agriculture program cooking demonstration on July 16.

Three dishes were prepared and paired with wines for sampling. The dishes using fresh summer produce from the farm included ratatouille, bell pepper salsa served over Philly strip steaks, and cheese and olivestuffed tomatoes. Many enjoyed the tour of the farm, run year-round with hoop house technology.

Wines by Traminette American from Chateau Tebeau Winery in Helena, Ohio, included Traminette American, Rio Madre Rioja Graciano 2012, Fazi Battaglia Classico 2012, and Agape 2011.

Admission was free, but donations were accepted, netting $300 for Bittersweet Farms and the Great Lakes Collaborative for Autism’s Change the Future campaign.

Storms cleared just in time for Chicks Mix ’14 at Toledo Botanical Garden. The ninth annual event, held July 8 under a giant tent, was attended by more than 400 Chicks and Junior Chicks who sported everything from flip-flops and shorts to sundresses and pants.

Adding pep to everyone’s step was the Toledo School for the Arts Glass City Steel Drum Band.

Wine and beer was by Heidelberg Distributing. The bartenders — all male — competed to see who could raise the most tips. Between the two bars they raised $1,000. Bartenders included Hans Vetter, Travis Schultz, Stan Massey, Alex Hall, and Tom Schoen. Tasty hors d’oeuvres were by Stella’s and Swig.

The night included a silent auction, raffle tickets for prizes, and Photobooth Live/ Grand Lubell Photography.

Sydney Payeff, 9, gave the blessing. Martha Vetter, founder, said every little bit helps. The whole idea of the group is to raise funds for causes, but not get bogged down with meetings. Members are encouraged to have a party with a few friends, and raise a few dollars: $10 here, $100 there, it all counts. Even the Junior Chicks help: Sloan DeWood, 7, had a lemonade stand the day before and raised $10.50 that she presented at the Chicks Mix.

The event raised more than $26,000 for Shared Lives Studio, the Chicks’ 2013-2014 charity recipient. Add that to the $59,000 previously raised, and the Chicks have contributed more than $85,000 to Shared Lives Studio, a nonprofit visual arts center for artists with developmental disabilities, a division of Lott Industries and the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities.

The Chicks in Charge of the Mix were Andrea De Wood, Joan Uhl Browne, and Sue Hague-Rogers. Junior Chicks included Cecilia Chowdhary, Ally Westmeyer, Sloan DeWood, and Claire and Hannah Kersten.

IT WAS a “friend-raiser” that made money, said Portia Garza of Ronald McDonald House Charities. The Pinot on the Patio event June 24 was sponsored by the Red Shoe Society, which supports the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Ohio.

The event featured wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres for $25 per person at several Toledo locations. La Scola Italian Grill was a cocktail party for the more subdued crowd. Burger Bar 419 on Heatherdowns Boulevard was a sit-down presentation, and Burger Bar 419 on Monroe Street was a real party scene. A total of 164 people participated to help raise $2,460.