A spicy mix of house parties launches the Center's 25th Anniversary Celebration. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 22, 23 and 24, and Sunday, October 22, talented hosts will open up their homes and prepare fabulous dinners, brunches and entertainment to entice and beguile you. Choose the affair that appeals to you the most and reserve your place at the table. Your reservation at $45 will go entirely to support the Center. The fundraiser, presented by the Friends of the Fine Arts Center with generous support from the Northampton Cooperative Bank, will feature six parties at different locations:

A Historic Affair

Hosts: Sandy and Mark Parent

Come explore the Simeon Clark House, c. 1750, and learn about its history and former owners. A bona fide Colonial dinner will include potato soup, Cornish game hens with wild rice stuffing, sweet potatoes with apples, green beans, biscuits and apple pie.

Louisiana! Creole and Cajun

Hosts: Beverly and Willie Hill

Louisiana-born Beverly Hill will "kick it up a notch" with some down-home, southern cooking, with such specialities as filé gumbo and crayfish etoufée. You'll sample warm creole and cajun hospitality, buffet-style, in the Hills' brand new home.

Garden Delight: A Premiere Showing

Hosts: Lynn Griesemer and Bryan Harvey

Enjoy libations and hors d'oeuvres in the glorious gardens designed by Gordon Fletcher-Howell of Earthcare Gardens. Gordon will be there to discuss the design and answer your questions. Then head inside for a sumptuous buffet dinner and great conversation.

Living La Vida Loca!

Hosts: Mary Ann Cofrin and Elaine Garofoli and Kathy and Walter Mullin

An evening of Caribbean food and dancing at the beautiful Martin-Kellogg house. Start with cocktails on the patio with meadow and farm land views. After dinner, kick up your heels with Deborah Cohen of Paradise Dance in a one-hour lesson of salsa and merengue.

A Renaissance Fare

Hosts: Arthur Kinney and Grace Rollason

An authentic Renaissance meal and music at the Massachusetts Center for Renaissance Studies. Enjoy roast chicken with fruit stuffing, sweet potato pudding, roasted beets with goat cheese, sallet of mixed greens, quince tarts, zabaglione with fruit, candied orange rind, Renaissance wine and cider!

Soul-Satisfying Jazz Brunch

Hosts: Kathryn and Royster Hedgepeth

C'mon to a brunch guaranteed to be soul-satisfying with a fusion of Southern hospitality, California charm, and the vibrant jazz of the Genevieve Rose Trio. What better way to welcome the fall than with great food and great music!