4th Annual Wine Tasting

Our 4th Annual Wine Tasting, held at the Kenilworth Lodge on Saturday, December 3rd, was a big success, with over 140 guests in attendance! There were five different tables serving wine and food from Italy, Spain, France, California, and one table with an assortment of wines and hors d'oeuvres. A big thanks goes out to the people who served our guests at each of these tables - Marie Boley, Maria Sutherland, Jeri Wohl, Dorry Christy, Patty Palmer, Suzanne Wright, Chef Mac of The Palms, Barb Hall, Debbie Kendrick, and Linda Kegley. We also had six different varieties of microbrews to sample, which were donated by Bernie Little and served up by Chris Benson.

Guests who aimed to pick up a few unique Christmas gifts were in luck. We sold cases of the microbrews for just $20, and every wine served was also available for purchase for $15 each. (But don't despair if you couldn't get your hands on one of your favorites that night - all the beverages at the wine tasting can be purchased at ABC Liquors!) There were also cigars from BB's Tobacco on sale, as well as sets of wine glasses hand-painted by some of our Yellow House Gallery and Gift Shop studio artists. But best of all was the silent auction, in which we offered everything from paintings to a Florida Gators Santa hat!

The silent auction alone raised almost $3000 for Highlands Art League, but we couldn't have done it without the people who donated the auction items. Alice Hansen, Linda Kegley, Janet King, and Barbara Wade all donated original pieces of artwork. Heartland Treasures provided the aforementioned Santa hat, as well as an antique side table, two decorative golden bowls, and a fifty dollar gift certificate. From money donated by Ron and Nancy Owen, gift certificates donated by The Blue Crab, and Vera Bradley merchandise donated by Steve & Co., we were able to assemble two very nice wine gift baskets. There was also a bird-themed gift basket, donated by Linda Andrews. Pinecrest Golf Course donated a golf package, Florida Hospital gave us a big, mult-picture frame, and Patty Palmer and Marie Boley offered up their own houses! Each own beachfront homes, and guests could bid on either a three-night stay on Palm Island or a week on Little Gasparilla. The bids were pouring in all night! We also gave away a bracelet by Karen Andrews, a massage from The Spa at Hammock Falls, and a refresher facial from The Studio. Guests dropped their ticket stubs into a vase as they entered, and drawings were done throughout the evening.

Not only did Highlands Art League sell more tickets than the previous year, we also did better in the silent auction. Thank you so much to all of our supporters! It was a great evening; even those of us who were working the whole time had fun. We're looking forward to next year!

Sets of hand-painted wine glasses by studio artist from the Yellow House Gallery & Gift Shop.

Watercolor of roseate spoonbills by Yellow House artist Barbara Wade.