THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 10, 1994 TAG: 9411080124
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: ON THE TOWN
SOURCE: SAM MARTINETTE
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
If you're looking for a way to combine helping a good cause and having a good time, you may want to stop by La Galleria this evening between 7 and 11 p.m. for the third annual Celebrity Art and Silent Auction.
Tickets for the event are $15 per person, and the proceeds will benefit the Easter Seals Society of Virginia, according to Karin Frye, special events coordinator for the area chapter.
``The live auction will start between 8 and 8:30,'' Frye explained. ``We'll have some hand-painted T-shirts and ties done by celebrities, and I believe we'll have a painting done by Nikki Reed of WNOR radio.''
Celebrity art will be provided by the likes of Joe Flanagan, Jeff Lawson, Jim Kincaid, Henry DelToro, Sandra Parker, Barbara Lewis, Peter Decker and others, I'm told. During the silent auction, patrons also will be able to bid for opera and theater tickets, commissioned drawings, dinners for two at area restaurants and many other items.
``We'll also have a queen-sized, hand-stitched quilt, signed by such celebrities as Lillian Vernon, singer Ray Charles, comedians Brett Butler and George Wallace, and some Virginia celebrities,'' Frye said.
Dress for the evening will range from casual to evening wear, Frye said. As for the food, La Galleria owner Ruth Tavss said, ``We'll have a roasted turkey with homemade dressing, Italian bread and condiments, some penne pasta alla vodka, and sausage and peppers.'' There will be a cash bar.
The money raised will help send disabled adults and children to Camp Easter Seals East and West, ``where they can do some things they normally wouldn't get to do, such as climbing trees or horseback riding,'' Frye said. Money also might be used to finance equipment loans and the Easter Seals car seat program.
I stopped by Wilma's Chili Parlor (3910 Colley Ave., 627-7441) for a bowl of white chili last week, and owner Mike Cavish popped a coin in the juke and played ``Crazy'' for me, the Patsy Cline tune I mentioned last month in a column about his new restaurant. I hope it was his way of telling me Wilma's ABC license finally had arrived and I could cry in my beer, and not a comment on my writing style.
``We're now open for Sunday lunch, so that makes it seven days and nights a week, with full ABC, beer and wine,'' Cavish said. The rules stipulate Wilma's can serve alcohol until midnight, Sunday through Thursday, and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, he said.
Down the street, Norfolk's most famous non-ABC eatery, The Jewish Mother in Norfolk (5214 Colley Ave., 451-0890) has opened for lunch, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to general manager Scotty Miller.
``We're still serving the same great sandwiches, omelettes, quiches and knishes we've been serving for 20 years,'' Miller said, ``and we hope to get our ABC license back in time to book some holiday parties.''
The Mom is serving a Sunday brunch, and Miller promises that when the ABC permit is back in place there will be ``an exciting new dinner menu and the return of live music.''
In the meantime, Judy Kernell is on hand playing ``The Golden Harp,'' and lunch is served.
``We want to be good neighbors,'' Miller said. ``We've always been a restaurant. We just want to cook, serve a good product and make a little money.'' by CNB