Furniture and fine wine
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- Published on Thursday, October 27, 2016
Photos by Tony Eu. ArtsForward was packed on Saturday, Oct. 22 as the organization held its biannual wine tasting fundraiser. The event netted over $1,500 for the arts organization.
By Tony Eu
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
The smell of wine filled the room; in one corner was a spread of cheese and crackers. Music was being played, people were laughing and on display, atop a pair of tables, were four decorated chairs.
On Saturday, Oct. 22, ArtsForward (previously the Viscount Cultural Centre) held their biannual wine tasting fundraiser. This year, the fundraiser also included a silent auction for four re-done and decorated chairs.
The wine tasting event featured, as one would expect, plenty of different wines, all of which are available from the local Liquor Mart. The event also included live entertainment, with Richard Desjardins playing relaxing music on the guitar throughout the evening. There was also a fine spread of cheeses and crackers to compliment the 36 new wines.
“The evening was considered a success,” said Rrain Prior, the program director at ArtsForward. “The event is offered to us as a fundraiser by the Manitoba Liquor and Gaming Authority (MLGA),” Prior explained. “The MLGA hope to stimulate sales at the local Liquor Mart as well as provide a fundraiser to the local arts council,” she added.
The silent auction for the chairs started in August and you might have seen them on display in the windows of It’s Time Fashion & Gifts. The wine tasting was the last chance to bid on the refurbished chairs, as the winners were declared that night.
The fundraising event was also the last chance to bid on chairs painted by local artists.
As an auction, prices for the chairs varied, from as high as $60 to a low of $20. The four lucky winners of the chairs were Rhian Beever, Eleanor Beever, Danielle Carefoot and Rodney Drader.
As well as the chair bidding, there was also a raffle, with products from Farmery Estate Brewery and a gift basket available to be won. The raffle raised $164, bringing the total amount for the evening to $329.
Add to that the $1,950 brought in from 78 ticket sales and before expenses, ArtsForward raised $2,279. After factoring in expenses, they brought in $1,600. That money will be used to support the general operations of the facility as well as fund the programs that are held in the building.
