Dressed like a classic cruise ship and visiting ports of call around the Mediterranean, the Lincoln City Cultural Center will be setting sail Saturday, May 4, to support the arts with the fifth annual “Culture, Of Course! Gala.”
Tickets for this year’s theme is “An Affair to Remember,” featuring entertainment by cabaret vocalist Rocky Blumhagen, are on sale at lincolncityculturalcenter.org or by calling 541-994-9994.
The adventure will begin at 5:30 p.m., with the opening of the Jazz at Sea Lounge and the Desert Sands Game Room in the south end of the center. In the jazz lounge, there will be live music by Greg Ernst and Greg Berton, along with a silent auction filled with baskets and gift certificates.
Next door in the game room, the adventurous can choose a surprise from the “Pyramids of Giza” – with every building block box guaranteed to contain a prize worth at least $25 and most boxes, a whole lot more. Or, have a little fun at the carnival-style wine ring toss, where you aim for the vintage you desire.
Guests can enjoy a signature cocktail, the Pomegranate Royale, or a glass of Northwest wine or beer, as well as Mediterranean appetizers prepared and served by the students from the Taft High 7-12 Culinary Team.
At 6:30 p.m., master of ceremonies Keith Altomare will move the guests into the auditorium, decorated in the luxurious style of a 1950s cruise ship like the one where Deborah Kerr met Cary Grant, in the classic film “An Affair to Remember.” Dinner will be served buffet style, with food inspired by Mediterranean Sea ports of call and donated by generous local chefs and restaurants.
The menu includes seafood paella by The Side Door Café, halibut with mushroom risotto by Kyllo’s Restaurant, a vegetable lasagna by Lord Brixxton’s, lamb kofta by Old Line Lanes, spanakopita from Melany Berry/Full Heart Productions, and bisteya (a Moroccan carrot salad) by Donna Riani. The buffet adventure will continue with even more delicious French pastry contributions by Dede Mettle of Volta Bakery. Northwest wines will be sold by the glass and by the bottle throughout the evening.
ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT
The romance of the classic film will be everywhere, especially when the microphone is handed to this year’s Culture, Of Course! featured performer, Rocky Blumhagen.
He will perform a tribute to American composer Harry Warren (1893-1981) who created more than 400 songs for 90 different movies including the famous theme to “An Affair to Remember.” The 11th of 12 children of Italian immigrants, Warren grew up in Brooklyn and became a “song plugger” in the famed Tin Pan Alley and a renowned contributor to the Great American Songbook.
Rocky Blumhagen has performed in the Lincoln City area for more than 10 years, with shows honoring Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, and Irving Berlin at the Siletz Bay Music Festival. “Harry Warren certainly belongs in the company of these famed Broadway composer/lyricists. I love what LCCC offers our local community. Since yoga is my passion, I love that New Moon Yoga is part of the LCCC, too!” At the May 4 Gala, Blumhagen will perform with pianist Rick Modlin and bassist Greg Berton (who is also the president of the board of the LCCC).
FUNDRAISING COURSES FOR EVERYONE
Culture, Of Course! is the signature fundraiser for the Lincoln City Cultural Center, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a home for visual and performing arts inside the historic Delake School. The money raised at this event, the fifth annual, will support concerts, art exhibits, classes and community events for people of all ages and income levels in Lincoln City.
Among the live auction prizes up for grabs: tasty treats like Depoe Baykery Donuts, Capt. Dan’s Pirate Pastry pie and locally-raised, grass-fed beef, and beautiful things like a mosaic by Joanne Daschel. The live auction will also include Marriott Hotel vacation packages in Seattle, Portland, Hawaii and Arizona. Intimate dinners, landscaping materials and once-in-a-lifetime artistic experiences will be up for sale, all to benefit arts and culture programs at the LCCC.
Are you a donor who likes to invest in something solid? Something durable that you can see, touch, and point to with pride? If so, then the Culture, Of Course! Totally Tangible Paddle Raise is for you. Last year’s paddle raise purchased an ice maker for the kitchen, a coat rack for the Green Room and new fixtures for the gallery. This year, Executive Director Niki Price will present a whole new selection of “tangibles” in need of support.
Full event tickets which includes the buffet dinner, a glass of wine or signature cocktail, and the performance by Rocky Blumhagen are $75 each. To purchase, call 541-994-9994 or head to lincolncity-culturalcenter.org.
ABOUT THE 50/50 RAFFLE
The evening will end with the final drawing of the Culture, Of Course! 50/50 Raffle. There are three valuable prizes, all to be drawn at the gala – and you need not be present to win. Third prize is a tasting menu for two, with wine, from The Bay House Restaurant. Second prize is a collection of three wool carpets, donated by Sener & Julie Otrugman of The Kelp Bed in Lincoln City.
The grand prize in the Culture, Of Course! Raffle will be something that everyone can use: MONEY. If your ticket is drawn, you’ll receive half the proceeds from all the Raffle sales – at the time of this press release, the total was $5500, which means the lucky winner will win at least $2750. The drawing will be held at the conclusion of the Gala on May 4. You need not be present to win this wonderful jackpot!
The Raffle committee is selling these tickets all over town, raising money for a great cause: the operation of the nonprofit Lincoln City Cultural Center. In 2018, the center hosted 350 events, from shows in the art gallery to bluegrass concerts in the auditorium. From meetings to markets to mosaics, the LCCC offers programs for people of all ages and income levels – and the 50/50 raffle will help keep them coming in 2018 and beyond.
Raffle chances are $20 each, or six for $100, on sale through committee members, online at lincolncity-culturalcenter.org, and in person at the LCCC. Only 500 tickets will be sold. To learn more about the event, to purchase tickets, and contribute to the cultural cause, call 541-994-9994.
