THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 30, 1996 TAG: 9609280058
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SAM MARTINETTE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 77 lines
THE RECENT Zoo To Do signaled the beginning of a busy fall social season.
In addition to the opening of the Virginia Symphony, Virginia Stage company and Virginia Opera, a number of charity functions loom. This is a head start on some.
Let me remind you that the Fifth Annual Gourmet Gala is set for Thursday, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., at the Norfolk Waterside Convention Center at The Marriott. Tickets for the event are $35 per person and entitle the bearer to unlimited grazing at roughly 38 food booths, including many of the finest restaurants in Hampton Roads, gourmet caterers and food vendors.
The event, traditionally a wonderful evening for networking, also offers continuous music and entertainment. All proceeds go toward funding research programs at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. The gala is a yearly sellout, so if you are interested, call 622-3317 for ticket information.
The folks at the d'ART Center in Norfolk continue to celebrate their 10th anniversary with the d'ART Center Gala Art Auction set for Oct. 11, with a reception and silent auction starting at 6 p.m. followed by a live auction under the big top at 8 p.m. The $15 ticket donation enables patrons to sample the wares of nine downtown eateries, including The Dumbwaiter, Freemason Abbey, Harbor Club, La Galleria Ristorante, Marriott Waterside, Maude's House, No Frill Grill, Town Point Club, and Thyme Square.
New this year will be the ``Blue Dot Special,'' offering selected original works by local and regional artists for a donation of $80 for each piece. Music will be provided by Stephen Bennett. The auction itself is always a spirited event, with a mix of humor and art, and the party clothes worn by patrons are often quite colorful. Proceeds support the programs and exhibitions at the center. For ticket information, call the d'ART Center (125 College Place, 625-4211).
The following Tuesday, Oct. 15, you can ``Dine Out to Help Out'' at more than 70 area restaurants in Southside Hampton Roads to benefit the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. Restaurants, cafes, bistros, grills and even fast-food eateries in Chesapeake, Franklin, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Smithfield and Virginia Beach are donating a percentage of their proceeds to help fund programs of the Foodbank.
The event is taking place during the middle of National Foodbank Week and on the eve of World Hunger Prevention Day. The list of participating restaurants is way too long to list, but if you are interested in helping out while you dine that evening, call the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia (2308 Granby St., Norfolk, 624-133) for a location near you. Funds raised last year helped to provide emergency meals for 24,000 people, according to Foodbank officials.
Since October is Virginia Wine Month, the ninth Annual Town Point Virginia Wine Festival, set for noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 19 and 20, seems appropriate. Some 25 Virginia wineries provide samplings of their premier wines, and there will be wine seminars on starting a wine cellar, cooking and entertaining with wine, live jazz and classical music, and a harbor full of majestic sailboats that will have just completed the ```Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.''
Tickets for unlimited wine tasting are $15 per person, per day, in advance (by Oct. 11) and $20 if purchased each day of the event. Tables are available for group purchase - $200 per table each day includes admission for eight, commemorative wine glasses and a fruit and cheese basket - and there will be a number of food vendors on hand. In years past the event has proved to be very popular, and on a clear, crisp day it is like a wonderful private party on the waterfront.
Tickets may be purchased at the Norfolk Festevents office, 120 W. Main St., or at a number of area locations. Call 441-2345 for a list of participating locations. General admission tickets ($5) are available each day for those who want to attend and purchase their potions by the glass.
Also on the horizon is The DePaul Ball, set for Nov. 16 at Norfolk Omni Waterside Hotel, featuring ``A Night on Broadway'' theme, the music of Albert Norton Williams and the band Liberation, and the excellent food of Omni's executive chef, David Lapinski. For information, call 889-5900. I'll have more about the event later. by CNB