21st Annual Friends of the Fine Arts Center’s Benefit Gala and Auction
The 21st Annual Friends of the Fine Arts Center’s Benefit Gala and Auction is considered one of the best parties in the Valley.
The Gala raises needed funds to keep the arts accessible to all - particularly to area schools and under-served communities. The Gala and Auction benefits arts in education programs, providing artist access through workshops and master classes to area schools and communities.
And if tickets are purchased before Monday, January 11th, ticket holders will be entered into a contest to win luxury accommodations at the Hotel Northampton the night of the event.
It’s a fun evening that is full of great entertainment, food, and auction items donated by local businesses. The Gala will be held throughout the entire hotel with entertainment options in four rooms. There is no reserved seating so that patrons can mingle and move easily throughout the venue. New this year is a cigar tent on the patio sponsored by Northampton Rental Center (with complimentary cigars while they last.) Going into its third gala, the Online Auction returns this year so that everyone, not just Gala attendees, has the opportunity to bid on the many wonderful items offered through the auction. The Online Auction goes live January 1st and ends at 12 noon, Sunday, January 31st. To access the online auction go to www.umassfineartscenter.cmarket.com.
In addition to bidding on items online in advance of the Gala, patrons will be able to bid on selected auction items via laptops stationed throughout the hotel at live the Gala. There will also be several outstanding wine and liquor baskets available to bid on at the Gala, donated by Whole Foods Market, Spirit Haus, Liquors 44 and Four Seasons Wine.
The Auction is busting with over 100 treasures of fine arts, original creations, getaways, catered parties, vacation homes, and more all donated from local businesses and artists. Highlights include Boston Red Sox tickets, accommodations at the Sloane Club London, Hotel Bristol-Vienna Austria, the Provence region of southern France, and the LeMarche region of Italy, and a catered in-home party by Log Rolling, the Log Cabin's on-the-road catering service.
The evening’s entertainment offers something for everyone and it all gets started in the ballroom with The Sun Protection Factor Four (SPF-4), a band that continues the tradition pioneered by instro-masters like Dick Dale, The Ventures, Link Wray and other 60's instro-surf bands. SPF-4 includes seasoned players that combine vintage surf-instrumental style with a modern edge/rock performance. Continuing in the ballroom throughout the rest of the evening is 80’s dance band Love Bomb. Robert Holmes, co-founder of "'Til Tuesday" with Aimie Mann", and guitarist/vocalist extraordinaire leads this terrific six-piece rock band. A fun and incredibly tight band performing a both quirky and friendly combination of rock and R&B hits.
In the Coolidge Café, sultry jazz is offered via the silky tones of Samirah Evans and her Handsome Devils. In New Orleans, a city known worldwide for its music, Evans was one of its most popular jazz and blues vocalists. She first performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 1990, and became a regular fixture as either a leader or featured vocalist for 14 consecutive years. She has toured Europe, Asia, and both North and South America as a headliner, and shared stages with a multitude of legendary artists from B.B. King and James Brown, to New Orleans' own Queen of Soul, Irma Thomas. Evans’s live performance repertoire runs the gamut from raunchy blues to jazz smooth as silk.
Wiggins Tavern wouldn’t be complete without a pub band and the Boston Blackthorne Band fits the bill perfectly. They entertained Celtic music fans throughout New England for more than 15 years. The group is rooted in the Irish ballad tradition of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem with contemporary twists and original arrangements. Primary vocalist Jim O’Connor hails from Western Massachusetts was a member of the Paddy Noonan Band and is a veteran of the New York City Irish music scene.
The Auction is busting with over 100 treasures of fine arts, original creations, getaways, catered parties, vacation homes, and more all donated from local businesses and artists. Highlights include Boston Red Sox tickets, accommodations at the Sloane Club London, Hotel Bristol-Vienna Austria, the Provence region of southern France, and the LeMarche region of Italy, and a catered in-home party by Log Rolling, the Log Cabin's on-the-road catering service.
Hotel Northampton owner Mansour Ghalibaf has once again inspired his chefs to create an exciting array of menus for the evening with each room offering up a different kind of fare. Cash bars will be available throughout the hotel.
For more information, please call the Friends of the Fine Arts Center at 413.545.3671. For tickets to the event, call the box office at 413.545.2511 or 1.800.999.UMAS. For more details about the event go online to fineartscenter.com.
Lead sponsors for the Gala are Northampton Cooperative Bank and the Hotel Northampton. In-kind sponsors include the Daily Hampshire Gazette, WEIB 106.3FM and Tiger Press. Grand Sponsor: United Bank. Sustaining sponsors include Applied Mortgage Services Corp., Fallon Community Health, Finck & Perras Insurance, Motoko Inoue, PeoplesBank, Prudential Sawicki Real Estate, Mark & Sarah Tanner and Lynn Griesemer & Bryan Harvey.
Directions & Parking
Parking is complimentary on a first come, first served basis in the rear of the building. Valet parking available on the night of the event.
From Boston and East:
Take Mass Turnpike West (I-90) to exit 4 (I-91 North) to exit 18. Take a left at the bottom of the ramp onto Route 5. The Hotel is on the left just past the first light (approximately 1 mile).
From Albany and West:
Take Mass Turnpike East (I-90) to exit 4 (I-91 North) and follow from above.
From NYC, Bradley International Airport, and South:
Take I-91 North (to Massachusetts) to exit 18 and follow from above.
From Vermont and North:
Take I-91 South (to Massachusetts) to exit 20. Merge onto Route 5 & King Street. The Hotel is on the right (approximately 1.5 miles).