Spend Valentine's Day - at The DoubleTree Hotel
Dining - Dancing to Bijou Orchestra - Romantic Gift Auction
February 5, 2009
By: Julie McCallum, Entertainment Editor
VALLEY STORIES is like no other fund-raiser in the Great Lakes Bay
Region.
The celebration of the arts includes theater, fine dining,
dancing to The Bijou and an auction of romantic gifts.
Saturday, February 14, 2009 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bay City.
"We wanted
something special for this year's auction, and we think we may have
just the gift for a loved one or even for oneself," said Robyn Scott,
co-chair of Valley Stories and proprietor of Hoopla! in downtown Bay
City.
One of the features of VALLEY STORIES is a silent auction of 'romantic
gifts.' There is an emphasis on meals, hotel stays and personal
services in this group of gifts. There is also a raffle for two nights at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. The limited live auction, however, is what sets this event apart. There are just two items.
The
first is the chance to engage the orchestra for a one hour private
event. "This can be any kind of event," says Leo Najar, artistic
director of The Bijou. "The auction begins with a minimum of $250 for
one player. Every time we reach another $250, we add another player to
the pot up to thirteen. We can even play for a wedding, if you like."
Maybe you've always had a fantasy about playing with a first class
professional orchestra, but never had the training. Perhaps you don?t
even know how to play an instrument. Not a problem.
The other auction
prize is for the opportunity to perform as a member of The Bijou
percussion section on the 1812 Overture. Not a percussionist? Not a
problem. John Hill, Bijou percussionist assures us that 'anybody can do
it with ten minutes of practice.'
The focus of VALLEY STORIES is on romance, and every year, original
plays are written and performed that tell a romantic tale from the
lives of three couples that have been selected to be honored for their
contributions to the quality of life in the tri-county area.
This
year's honorees include:
Dom and Pam Monastiere of Bay City
Bill and
Nancy Barker of Midland
Eric and Cindy Gilbertson of Frankenlust
Township
The plays about them were written by Leo Najar and Mary Lou
Benecke and will be performed by theater students from Saginaw Valley
State University.
The evening concludes with two hours of dancing to The Bijou Orchestra.
Tickets for the event are $75 per person and include a dinner choice of
roast tenderloin of beef in cognac demi-glacé with petite lobster
thermidor en bouchée or roast tenderloin of beef in cognac demi-glacé
with white cheddar stuffed chicken.
The ticket price also includes
complementary wine and beer from the cocktail hour at 6pm through
dinner. Each ticket includes a contribution of $10 to the orchestra.
Patron tickets which include name recognition in the printed program
are $125 of which $60 is tax-deductible. Tickets must be purchased in
advance.
Call (989) 892-4200 for information and reservation.
The Bijou Orchestra takes its name from the Bijou Theater, one of the
earliest Bay City theaters, which later became known as the Bay and
eventually the State. The ensemble is composed of thirteen outstanding
musicians drawn from Michigan and beyond to perform in this challenging
medium in which every player is a soloist.
The orchestra is supported in part by grants from the National
Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council for the Arts and
Cultural Affairs. Major corporate sponsors include, Dow Corning, Bay
Regional Medical Center, OmniSource and Thelen Auto Group.