It’s MORE than art and wine at this fundraiser

ALICIA H. paints a colorful picture to be auctioned off at the MORE Art and Wine Festival. Democrat photo by Shelly Thorene

What: El Dorado Art and Wine Festival

Who: Mother Lode Rehabilitation Enterprises and the Placerville Kiwanis Club

Where: Mark D. Forni Building, El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive, Placerville

When: Saturday, Jan. 21, 6 to 9 p.m.

Tickets: $30 each or $50 per couple

Information: 530-622-4848

As members of the Aktion Club from Mother Lode Rehabilitation Enterprises and the Placerville Kiwanis Club listen, enthralled, to speaker Michael Misch, at the Cold Springs Golf and Country Club, it’s easy to see how these two organizations dovetail together.

Both MORE and Kiwanis have become integral parts of El Dorado County and each of the organizations, using their individual strengths, are helping to make the county a better place.

For the ninth year, MORE and the Placerville Kiwanis are partnering to offer the Art and Wine Festival, the biggest fundraiser of the year for both organizations.

The event happens from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Jan.21, at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville. There will be food, wine and art combine, along with music from Ray Brown Pro Sound/DJ Services and Recording and live and silent auctions, to offer participants three hours of fun, socializing and giving back to the community.

MORE contributes the willing workers from the Aktion Club, the fabulous artwork and the indomitable energy of executive director, Susie Davies to the event. Kiwanis contributes the help of three high school Key Clubs and the Builder’s Club from Markham Middle School, wonderful prizes for the auctions and the ingenuity and community connections of its members to run the event.

“It’s a win-win event for both our organizations,” said Placerville Kiwanis President Lanny Langston,” and it’s a win for the community as well, because the money we raise goes directly back into it.”

Six $1,000 scholarships for youth, scholarships for the culinary arts program supported by the Kiwanis and money for local organizations who work with youth are the purpose for the Kiwanis part of the Art and Wine Festival. Kiwanis also supports the Key Clubs, Builder’s Club and Aktion Club activities.

MORE uses its portion of the funds raised for vehicles to get clients out in the community for employment and for training to use community resources, empowering them to live full and productive lives.

Club contributions

MORE’s Aktion Club will be helping during the event, in charge of water and soda. Following the Kiwanis lead to serve the community, Aktion Club dues are going into a giant baby bottle, destined to be sent to help dying children in Africa and they’ve started a Food for Share program, collecting and bagging canned food and delivering it to local churches for their food banks.

Key Club members from El Dorado, Ponderosa and Union Mine high schools will be the guest servers at the event. Key Club members are learning leadership skills, how to interact with adults in a positive manner and building a habit of serving their community. They tutor younger students, help at the Upper Room dining hall and help with all the Kiwanis events throughout the year.

Markham School’s Builder’s Club members will be at the fairgrounds in the morning, setting up the tables and chairs. Some will stay for the event, said advisor Paul Zappetini, and help with errands, clean-up — doing a little bit of everything.

“Builder’s Club is open to everyone, so it’s a diverse group that gives kids who might not otherwise have any opportunities to be leaders a chance to develop confidence and become involved,” Zappetini said.

Wine and food

“Our goal is to have 20 food and 20 wine vendors for the festival,” said Davies. “This is such a tribute to our community in these tough economic times. We already have 19 wineries and 16 food vendors participating. We treat our vendors like royalty — our Key Clubs help them bring everything in and set up, we clean up and we escort them to and from their vehicles.”

“The event is great exposure for the restaurants and wineries that participate,” said Kiwanis Dave Thomas, El Dorado High School Key Club co-advisor.

Artwork

The MORE artists contribute the artwork on display and for sale at the event. They regularly participate in art exhibitions throughout the year as well as in the banners program on Main Street. This year, textile arts, innovative sculpture, three dimensional textured art and performing arts are added to MORE’s gallery.

The Creative Arts program at MORE offers the building blocks of formulating a strong artistic style, but also facilitates community involvement and teaches how to look beyond the world into the needs and dreams of others.

Live and silent auctions

Last year a storybook cottage children’s playhouse built and donated by Kiwanis Peter Wolfe and Langston brought a whopping $2,500 at the live auction.

This year’s offering promises to be even more spectacular as the playhouse comes in the form of a pirate ship with masts, decks and name, “The Black Puppy.” Many of the Kiwanis are working feverishly on the piece.

” All we have to do now is figure out how to get it down here,” said Langston.

Another live auction offering is a Sushi party for 12 in the comfort of your own home with Sue Denega and Susie Davies teaching the group how to make mouth watering sushi.

A five-hour Apple Hill Adventure beginning with cider and doughnuts at Rainbow Orchards, a box lunch eaten at Wofford Acres, wine tasting and visits to Apple Hill businesses and chauffered on the Foothill Area Rapid Transit bus is a live auction item and so is the Crab Lover’s Culinary Dinner for six on the Epicurean Adventure, Sunday, Jan.29.

A catered dinner for 12 by Diane Wilkinson, a weekend condo retreat at June Lake and a Spring Clean-up Package complete with a dumpster and four hours of labor from a MORE maintenance crew round out the wonderful auction choices.

There are many more items offered at the live and silent auctions, as well as a big screen television as a door prize.

Dessert Auction

Spectacular desserts from some of the county’s best bakeries and dessert vendors will be offered at a dessert auction.

“We’ll close this auction early so people can share their dessert if they like,” said Davies.

Sponsored tables

Sponsored tables, a new addition this year, will have the luxury of their own personal servers, catering to their every need.

Tickets are $30 each or $50 per couple and are available at Minute Man Press, 2861 Ray Lawyer Drive; Carl Hagen Insurance, 183 Placerville Drive, or MORE at 399 Placerville Drive in Placerville.

For more information call 530-622-4848 or visit the Website at morerehab.org.

Wendy Schultz

Wendy Schultz has been a columnist for the Mountain Democrat since 2002 and a staff writer since 2005. She covers Placerville city events and City Council meetings, writes feature stories and reports on things of interest in El Dorado County.

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