November 17, 1999

Restoration association holds colorful fund-raiser

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       How can a little goldenrod, magenta, cadet blue and sepia help the City Opera House?
      They can help as crayons, wielded by an enthusiastic colorer who is filling in the pages of 'O is for Opera House.' 'O is for Opera House' is a new fundraising coloring book being released today by the City Opera House Heritage Association in area stores.
      A homegrown project, the coloring book was conceived of and written by local author Annie Appleford and illustrated by local artist Terri Christie. Throughout the book, each page tells a story of the Grand Traverse region in words and pictures, one letter at a time.
      "I tried to look at the area from a children's point of view when writing it," said Appleford, a city resident who is currently the best-selling author of 'M is for Mitten,' a coloring book about Michigan. "My daughter is five years old and she is my tester; everything gets read by her."
      Appleford started the book out with A is for apples in autumn and B is for boats on the Bay and finished up with Z is for the Zoo - the Clinch Park Zoo, of course. The stories on the 26 pages cover aspects of the region from Elk Rapids to Leelanau County and the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes.
      A resident of Traverse City for just three years, Appleford drew on her memories of summers growing up and vacationing in Frankfort for some of the pages. Others were inspired by her love of history.
      "I'm a history buff and there's a lot of history in these opera houses," said Appleford, who was just elected to the City Opera House Heritage Association board. "When this project came up, I said let's do it for this one, which is one of three left in the whole state."
      Artist Terri Christie grew up in Benzie County and was able to inject a personal note from her childhood in some of the illustrations.
      "I grew up on an apple farm and drawing the A is for Apple page was fun," Christie said. "I love these creative projects, I am very happy with the outcome. They gave me the outline to start with and it was all up to me and my imagination to make the pictures."
      The funds raised by the sale of the coloring books will go to the capital fund of the Connie Binsfield Auditorium restoration efforts, which was launched earlier this month. With an ambitious goal of raising $5.8 million for the restoration project, the capital fund already has more than $1.5 million on hand. While the coloring book's $4 price tag mean its cumulative sales will be just a fraction of that amount, organizers hope the goodwill and publicity generated by the book will lead to more donations.
      "This book is a public relations piece as much as a fund-raiser," said Karen Smith, development chair of the City Opera House Heritage Association board. "It is a very regional piece, significant in many different ways."
      With the Christmas season looming, members of the association board hope consumers see coloring book as a perfect stocking stuffer that would appeal both to local residents and out-of-towners longing for a taste of Traverse City. Noting the potential for wide appeal, some area stores started clamoring for more copies for next summer's tourist season, even before the coloring book's official release today.
      "The beauty of it is that while it is not a seasonal item, we will get good exposure with the holidays," Smith said. "We are already planning our second printing."
      'O is for Opera House' cost $4 and is available at the following locations: Stage-Milliken's, Stewart Zacks, Anna's Secret Garden, Anna's Roses,Cranberry Christmas, Dandelion, DeYoung's Wallpaper and Paint, Gaston Family Chiropractic, Ken's Crafts, Munson Hospital Gift Shop, Stained Glass Cabinet Company, Steward Zacks and Dennos Museum Store, Enerdyne in Suttons Bay, Country Garden in Northport, The Totem Shop and Tiny Treasures, both in Glen Arbor. Or call 922-2070 for more information.