It’s official. The Friends of the Library tri-tip barbecue lunch on Aug. 27, in the library’s Shepard Hall, was a success.
Board member Marilyn Moll reported that almost 500 tickets at $8 each had been pre-sold.
About 20 library lovers were eating lunch (tri-tip, chips, soft drinks) when I arrived. A steady stream of folks trickled in to pick up lunch to go.
Board president Tom Gorman presided at the raffle basket table. Baskets held an array of gift certificates from restaurants like North China, IHOP, the Olive Garden, Casa Mañana, Panera, and Skip Gibson’s.
More than 700 raffle tickets had been sold before the luncheon in the library’s gift shop, where the baskets, on display, had generated much excitement.
Noontime Kiwanis barbecue team did the meat. These guys know their stuff; tri-tip was delish.
Barbecue captain Randy Beal is one of the busiest guys in town and certainly a contender for a Barbecue King crown, should one be offered by the Chamber of Commerce.
Fall and winter preview:
It’s official. Summer is over and a new season, full of nonprofit fun, begins.
United Way board president Sandra Dickerson was at the library barbecue with her husband Robert, who’s on the board of the PCPA Foundation along with Sandra’s co-CEO at Your People Professionals, Cynthia McKellar.
The Dickersons reminded me that three couples living in the historic carriage district, Palm Court (chockfull of adorable, interesting homes, mostly from the ’30s, near the Santa Maria Inn), are prepping for an encore of last year’s Candlelight Tour, which had a most delightful and well-received debut.
The Dickersons and their neighbors Richard and Lynn Fernbaugh and Jim and Kelley White O’Neill got together last December and literally cooked up a progressive dinner worthy of Bon Appetit magazine: Champagne and hors d’oeuvres at one house, main course at another house, and dessert and coffee at still another.
Last year’s tour was magnificent and the food, divine. There wasn’t a disappointed tummy in the crowd. We are talking accomplished cooks working on serious stoves.
PCPA Foundation’s executive director Gillian Andrews, who was there in 2010, remarked, “It is a beautiful event.”
Next month, three Candlelight Tours will be auctioned off—just like last year—at the Mayors Ball on Oct. 1, at PCPA’s annual gala on Oct. 8 at the Radisson Hotel, and at the Discovery Museum’s brand new event—are you ready for this?—the Bippity Boppity Boo Ball, on Oct. 29.
The Discovery Museum’s White O’Neill described the museum’s upcoming black tie fete as one of “creepy elegance”—it is, after all, Halloween! Tickets are only $40 if purchased before Oct. 12 and $50 thereafter.
To clarify any confusion, there will be three tours, each for a group of 10 people. One tour will be auctioned off at each of the three events described above. Each of the three groups will go to the Dickersons, the Fernbaughs, or the O’Neills, and, after the first course, will move on to another house. The groups will be ships passing in the night, waving merrily as they traipse through a splendidly festive Palm Court in a holiday mood.
Beautifully restored historic homes, excellent gourmet home-cooked food, and classy libations. ’Tis not to be missed.
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Sep 8-15, 2011.
