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Friends,
Our STAND UP! A Celebration was a wonderful success. Over 80 people
attended, putting the Ozark Mountain Smokehouse at capacity for seating.
A friendly festive mood permeated the crowd, enhanced by a cheery fire
in the natural stone fireplace and the aroma of fine food. Great
acoustics of the high, open beam ceiling worked to the advantage of our
musicians, Claudia Burson on keyboard and Jim Greeson on acoustic bass,
who entertained with a rich slate of jazz arrangements.
Arrivals checked in at the entry table, including many who were not our
"regular" supporters -- such as an emeritus professor and his wife,
perhaps best known for his poetry reading at President Clinton's
inauguration. Also attending was the Episcopalian minister and his wife,
a prominent couple in Fayetteville's progressive community, and the
Fayetteville mayor and his wife, who dropped by and stayed after
attending a benefit at the Walton Arts Center. Our supporters came from
as far away as Mountain Home, Little Rock, Hot Springs, Eureka Springs,
and Rogers to join the festivities.
A selection of exotic wines were available, a selection made personally
by Frank Sharp of the Smokehouse and served by Smokehouse staff Tamie,
along with organic fruit juices (Ozark Cooperative Warehouse) and coffee
(Arsaga's). First taste treats were an arrangement of proscuitto ham
(1936 Club) and thin-sliced bread (Arsaga's) plus a platter of layered
dip with fresh chips and salsa (Jose's) and a cocktail nut mix seasoned
with tamari (Summercorn Foods).
The main buffet line quickly became crowded after a few folks walked
through the room with plates heaping with food. A tossed salad of baby
greens and spinach was offered, along with a Caesar salad (Pesto Cafe).
Next in line was Mexican casserole (Rolling Pin Cafe), beef fajitas with
all the trimmings (Tuesday), Shepherd's Pie (Sassafras), Spring Rolls (A
Taste of Thai), and Vegetable Lasagne (Pesto Cafe), of course with ample
breads, butter, and dressings. Desserts abounded with fresh cherry and
apple pie (Rolling Pin) and pound cake, brownies, biscotti, and baked
apples from Harriet Neiman's kitchen (formerly North Forty), plus a side
platter of fresh pears, apples, and cheeses.
An array of items offered for silent auction were presented along tables
at the side of the room, where folks could easily view and jot down
their bids throughout the evening. Elayne Hency and Darrel Henschell
conducted the auction, pronouncing final bids on everything from
shishkabob skewers (Middle Fork Metal Works) to a framed print (Don
House). Randy Childers helped gather in the payment for each item as it
was sold. A final batch of donated tee shirts (Neighborhood Wine &
Spirits, NLR) were auctioned in open bidding. Without taking the time
here to list all the other wonderful items donated for our auction, we
will list the donors, because they deserve your Christmas shopping
consideration:
Handmade, 7 E. Mountain, Fay'vl
Dark Star Visuals, N. Block, Fay'vl
Condom Sense, Dickson St., Fay'vl
Newmarket Naturals, Huntsville Rd., Fay'vl
Flying Possum Leather, Dickson St., Fay'vl
Willow & Luke Block, Pettigrew
Sound Warehouse, N. Block, Fay'vl
Enigma, N. Block, Fay'vl
Christine Weiss, Clinton -- webservices
Gaylord's Mountain Cafe, W. Mountain, Fay'vl
Jon Schader, artist
R. James Salon
Passages, 2332 N. College, Fay'vl
Phil's Computers, Fiesta Square, Fay'vl
Sidney's Emporium, Dickson, Fay'vl
Elayne's Dance, 521-6683
Summercorn Foods, Fay'vl
Fayetteville Athletic Club, Hwy 265 N. Fay'vl
Our gross proceeds for this event were around $1500, with all costs not
yet tallied. We should net around $1200, which is more than we had hoped
for in an event planned primarily as a time of relaxation and fun for
our supporters. A few of us didn't relax much, since the event turned
into a lot of work, but we still had fun!
A special thanks to Deste, Jeb, and Kadie Campbell for helping their mom
Denele in setting up, working the entry table (along with friend Jeff)
and the serving line (with friend Chuck). We also thank Elayne for her
work in just about every phase of event development, Darrel for all his
work, and Randy for being there to drag everything home afterwards. Also
thanks to Sharon for writing the Thank You notes.
I personally apologize for the lateness of this report, nearly a week
after the event, but our grant proposal deadline was December 6, with
less than 10 days advance notice, so the accountant and I spent a very
grim few days after the celebration trying to finalize a grant proposal
that would bring in $35,000 of funding for our 2002 operations. We won't
know til after Jan 1 whether we receive the funding.
We hope your holiday season is rich with family, friends, and good cheer
for each of you and that you join us restored and ready for the hard
work of reform in 2002, as we aim our efforts at bringing Arkansas
legislators into the reform camp, in preparation for the January 2003
legislative session. Yet as high as we may set our aspirations for
reform, we can each take real encouragement from what we have done so
far -- the fact that we have begun the drug policy reform discussion in
Arkansas, where nothing was being done before we began. Congratulations
to each of you!
Happy Holidays! |
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