WAS OUR 10TH WINE TASTING A GREAT EVENT--OR WHAT???
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Superb Wine, Fine Food, Big Crowd (168)
Equate to a Great Evening for the Club
It was an evening to remember, an evening of great fun, excellent food, warm fellowship, and being with friends at Fox Den for our 10th Annual Wine Tasting and Hors'd houvres this past Tuesday evening. It was three hours together that reflected the essence of Rotary.
Event Chair Stephanie Myers said we made almost $10,000 in ticket sales and the classy Silent Auction brought in approximately $2,500. Our goal was to raise $12,000 for our charities -- PolioPlus, Saving Little Hearts and STAR (Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding). When the bills are paid and we settle the books, we may be close to our goal.
Sam Taylor and his family at Dixie Lee Wine & Liquors poured some delicious wines -- reds and whites -- that kept the bartenders quite busy throughout the evening. And it's very doubtful that anyone left Fox Den hungry. The food was impressive! Stephanie says we had 168 people on hand -- Rotarians, spouses, relatives and friends.
Near the end of our evening Darryl Mackley asked Sam if we could raffle off a case of the unopened bottles of wine left over and he said YES! At $10 a pop, that last event of the evening raised $500 and it was won by Jimmy and Julie Chiarella, who were guests of Tom and Faye King. Jimmy is a prospective member, and has a photography studio in The Renassiance.
This was an inside and outside affair, with many enjoying the cool evening of the back patio at Fox Den.
"I was really pleased with how everything went. We sold about 30 more tickets
than last year! Darryl Mackley, Dan Watkins and Mark Holder did a great job with the silent auction, especially considering it was the first one!! I had a lot of people say that they thought that was a great addition to our event," Stephanie said.
She said that lots of people told her that they loved the food and liked the more intimate setting of Fox Den.
"A few guests (this year and in previous years) asked we how have 100% of the ticket price going to charity, how does that happen, and they are always amazed at the generosity of our members as am I," Stephanie added.
It was an evening to welcome back to Farragut Rotary Dr. Jack Faber and his 
wife back from an extended stay in Wisconsin. It was an evening to again enjoy the smiling face and persona of Carole Ireland (pictured here with Faye King, another redhead). Tom, bring Carole around more often!!! And PP Jonathon Johnson even showed up for this event, although Dad Joe Johnson was a no-show. Is Honorary Member Joe Johnson ever coming back to Farragut Rotary?
We'll soon be having a photo album of this event on our new club website -- www.farragutrotary.org
