Evening in the Garden

An Evening in the Garden
An Evening of Food, Wine, Art and Music at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden

The Rotary Club of Avalon, in conjunction with the Catalina Art Association, is hosting an Evening in the Garden event, an evening of food, wine, art and music plus silent and live auctions at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Garden.  The event will be held from 6:00-9:00pm on Saturday evening, September 18th, 2010 in conjunction with the 52nd Annual Catalina Festival of Art.

The evening event takes place at the Wrigley Memorial & Botanic Gardens and provides ticket holders with free roundtrip transportation by the Avalon Trolley from downtown to the entrance of the Garden.  At the entrance, attendees will enjoy complimentary wine, appetizer stations and silent auction items as they stroll along the beautiful nature trail, bordered by endemic plants and shaded by large trees, as the trail winds up to the Memorial.  For those who choose not to walk, electric golf carts will be available to transport guests from the gate to the event.

Live music will be playing while an elegantly plated, white-table clothed dinner, catered by Avalon’s noted Chef Greg Wenger, will be served under the stars below the statuesque Wrigley Memorial.  A no host bar will be available.  Auction tables with both silent and live travel and art auction items will also be on hand. 

The live auction will begin at 8:00pm.  Live travel auction items include a three-day getaway to Sedona, AZ at the Enchantment Resort, including round trip airfare from Los Angeles or Long Beach to Phoenix and a car rental; a weekend getaway to Hearst Castle including a tour of Hearst Castle and wine tasting; a four-night stay in Hamilton Cove condos in Avalon on Catalina Island, including transportation from the mainland, four zip line tours, and a Descanso Beach cabana rental; and a two- night stay at the Banning House in Two Harbors on Catalina Island. Art auctions will include the original plein air painting featured on the Evening in the Garden poster by New York artist, Edward Vander Velde.  Mr. Vander Velde will be at the auction to sign posters and talk about the inspiration for the artwork.  Additional auction items can be found at www.AvalonRotary.org/auction.

Tickets to an Evening in the Garden are $80 per person and can be purchased from Rotary Club of Avalon members, at the Chamber’s Visitor Center office on the Green Pier, or on-line at www.AvalonRotary.org/auction.  

In addition to the auction, Avalon Rotarians are also selling raffle tickets for a premiere Hawaiian Vacation Package.  The package, valued at $6000, includes seven days for two at the luxurious Volcano Mist Cottage on the Big Island of Hawaii, round trip airfare from Los Angeles, an Island helicopter tour and a rental car.  Volcano Mist Cottage offers Volcano Village lodging, fusing the qualities of a 5-Star luxury hotel and villa with the amenities of a vacation home rental, the romantic charm of a small inn or bed and breakfast, and the absolute privacy of a personal hideaway in the Hawaiian highlands. Raffle tickets are $50 each or 3 for $100 and are available from Rotary Club of Avalon members, the Chamber's Visitor Center office on the Green Pier in Avalon, or by mailing a check to: Avalon Rotary Club, PO Box 444, Avalon, CA 90704. The winning ticket will be drawn during An Evening in the Garden event.  The winner does not need to be present to win. 

This year’s Evening in the Garden event is the Rotary Club of Avalon’s biggest fundraiser.  Auction and raffle proceeds benefit Avalon’s youth and local community charities and significantly contribute to the betterment of the entire Island community.