Food, fun and fairy tales
On September 5 at the Boothbay Harbor Country Club, a fairytale evening awaits guests at the “Once Upon A Time” golf tournament and cocktail party, featuring a happy ending of raising money for the Boothbay Region YMCA.
“Every year, we have a golf tournament, and we also have a fundraiser like the ‘Chair-itable’ auction we did last year,” Meagan Hamblett, the Y's Membership, Marketing and Child Enrichment Director. “This year there are so many other events going on it just made sense to combine them.”
The golf tournament will take place at noon and the cocktail party will take place at 6 p.m. under a tent on the new driving range. Access will be by golf cart, and there will be games, dancing, and live entertainment along with a silent auction of local-artist decorated mirrors.
Hamblett came up with this year's theme, “Once Upon A Time,” last March.
“I was thinking about how the Y is about stories. Each member has a story to share, and every great story starts with 'Once upon a time.' I said to Dana (Paolilo) that I don't want the party to turn into something corny and princessy, and she's come up with some amazing ideas to hit just the right tone with it,” Hamblett said.
Some of these ideas include centerpieces decorated in a fairytale theme, such as a bunch of red apples for Snow White or golden-dyed straw bales for Rumpelstiltskin. There is discussion of possibly creating a game out of the centerpieces, by having guests guess which fairytale is represented at each table.
Last year, the Y auctioned off Adirondack chairs decorated by local artists. This year, to match the theme, mirrors of varying sizes and shapes have been given to local artists to design.
“It's a lot easier this year,” Hamblett said. “Last year we needed people to assemble, deliver, and pick up the chairs; and the day after the auction, delivery took a while. It's going to be a lot simpler this year.”
Only 15 mirrors will be designed and auctioned off. This year will be a silent auction rather than a live one. The Boothbay Region Art Foundation has loaned display panels for the mirrors to hang on, and volunteer Sue Bradley is in charge of coordinating with the artists and mirror sponsors.
When Hamblett approached Boothbay Harbor Country Club owner Paul Coulombe about holding the Y's annual fundraiser and golf tournament at the club, he was “incredibly supportive,” according to Hamblett. “He sat down with me and Sue Bradley and asked what we needed. We said a tent and a caterer. He said ‘consider it done,’ and the next day, he had both.”
Coulombe also came up with the idea of having a Mashed Potato Bar at the event, and having the Time Pilots, one of his favorite bands, perform, and had them booked that week for the party.
Golf teams are limited to 25 teams of four players, and there will be special surprises along the way for players. Dianne Gimbel is heading up the golf tournament, and is planning some of the surprises along the way.
The Y is still seeking sponsors to help with the event. Sponsorships range from $25 for a card sponsor, and $500 for business sponsorships, which includes a team of 4 for the tournament. Contact the YMCA to sign up or for more information.
Tickets are $100 for the tournament and cocktail party, or $50 for just the party. Tickets can be reserved at the Boothbay Region YMCA and need to be reserved by August 24. Evil Queens not welcome.
Katrina Clark can be reached at 207-633-4620 or katrinaclark@boothbayregister.com. Follow her on Twitter: @BBRegisterClark or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BBRegisterKatrinaClark.
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