May 4, 2005
Tables fund-raiser centerpiece
Festival of Tables benefits Child and Family Services program
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
From amethyst and Petoskey stone napkin rings to a hand-embroidered tablecloth to painted wine glasses, the "Wildflowers and Wine on Old Mission" table is an artistic vision.
For the third year in a row, members of the Old Mission Women's Club have created a masterpiece for the Festival of Tables fund-raiser, scheduled for this Saturday at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. Their table will be one of 40 tables on display, featuring themes ranging from patriotic and a teddy bear tea party to Asian and spring blossoms.
Nine members of the Old Mission Women's Club are again hoping that their entry takes home top honors from the show. They combined the skills of a painter, a lapidary artist, seamstresses and embroiders, putting in more than 640 hours in all to create a complete elegant dining theme. In all, their table - which includes donations of wine from Peninsula wineries and had a corporate sponsor of the Port of Old Mission - is valued at $2,281.
"We had fun, the Old Mission Women's Club is just full of talented people," said Carol Murray, committee chairman for the table as well as a seamstress on the project. "We started on it last September as soon as the Old Mission Women's Club got going."
The Festival of Tables began three years ago as a fund-raiser for the Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan. Linda Sommerville, chair of this year's event, saw a similar event in Chicago and decided it would be a perfect fund-raiser for the organization. The event has grown from 18 tables the first year to the maximum of 40 last year. In addition, she noted that 800 tickets have already been sold to view the tables Saturday, nearing a sell out.
Even those who are not planning to bid on or buy a raffle ticket to a table come to the Festival of Tables every year for decorating ideas. The event also includes artistic demonstrations, food tasting and wine tasting plus a silent auction featuring a Yamaha Disklavier baby grand player piano donated at cost by Kurtz Music.
"I think everybody that goes gets inspired," Sommerville said. "You may not be able to duplicate what you see but you get a lot of creative ideas. I think everybody does when they see these tables."
Tables will be judged in one of three categories, elegant, casual and original, with an award in each for professional designers and non-professionals. Judges will also choose a Best of Show table and a People's Choice award will be given to the most popular raffle table.
Funds raised from the Festival of Tables will benefit both the general operating costs of Child and Family Services as well as special programs. These include transition to independent living programs for children in foster care who reach 18 as well as counseling services for women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy.
"In the last several years we've served just about 4,000 people in our two offices, one here in Traverse City and the other in Harbor Springs," said Gina Aranki, marketing and public relations director for the agency, which serves 12 counties. "It's a lot of people, with our biggest being our foster care program, which includes children as well as a big roster of foster care families."
The Festival of Tables event will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. Tickets are $45 each and the event is already near capacity. For more information on the Festival of Tables event, call Linda Sommerville at Child and Family Services, 946-8975, ext. 1010.