The Scene In and Around Boston . . .
By Hilda M. Morrill
January 19, 2007
 Thayer Academy 11th grade students at the “Laurel Ball,” left to right: Harrison Slutsky, Mike Cimino, Mike Signorelli and Michael MacNeil. (Photo by Roger Farrington)
The 3rd “Annual Laurel Ball” benefit, which was held in December at the Ritz-Carlton, Boston, gathered together 400 Greater Boston high school students who were ready to start their winter vacation with a fun, and safe, party. For many of the teenaged attendees, the Ball was their first introduction into formal community fundraising.
Organized by a dedicated group of fourteen parent Overseers, the Ball's guiding purpose from the start has been to promote philanthropy in teenagers from diverse backgrounds and schools. With the 2006 Junior Committee listing 45 members and all tickets sold out, the occasion was a huge success. Plans are already underway for December 2007.
Proceeds from the Ball will benefit two educational charities: the Epiphany School's music program and the purchase of musical instruments for The Conservation Lab Charter School.
Congratulations and Best Wishes!
Spinazzola Gala Festival of Food and Wine is Scheduled - Wine Expo to Follow
The “22nd Annual Anthony Spinazzola Foundation Gala Festival of Food and Wine” takes place on Friday evening, February 9, at the Seaport World Trade Center.
More than 125 top restaurants and expert chefs from across New England, as well as 90 of the most elite wineries in the world, will come together for an exciting evening of “fun and frivolity” to benefit The Anthony Spinazzola Foundation.
Guests will get to sample the best that New England and the world have to offer, visit the Viking Kitchen for the Celebrity Cook-Off, place bids on the rare and fine wines on display in the silent auction, or dance the night away in the main hall or across the street at the Seaport Hotel and the “Spinazzola Nightcap.” Additionally, the “Spinazzola Pub” offers guests a chance to taste the wares of the region’s best breweries. There is something for everyone at this fabulous black tie event.
However, this evening is much more than exquisite food and wine. For more than twenty years, the funds raised at the Gala have been distributed by the Foundation through grants and scholarships that provide hunger and homelessness relief to those in need, as well as education for those who lack the funds necessary to continue on in the culinary arts. In all, the Foundation has donated more than $3 million to students and organizations throughout the Greater Boston area.
For tickets or more information about the Gala, please call the Foundation at 781-344-4413 or visit
www.spinazzola.org.
The Spinazzola Gala kicks off “A Weekend Of Wine, Food & Fun,” which continues with the “16th Annual Boston Wine Expo,” scheduled for Saturday, February 10 and Sunday, February 11 at the Seaport World Trade Center and Seaport Hotel, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
What better way to spend a winter weekend in Boston? Enhance your appreciation for wine and its finer accompaniments by enjoying the following:
Grand Tasting—Sample wines from more than 450 international wineries in one location…. some 1,800 wines in all.
Celebrity Chefs—Watch at least 15 celebrity chefs in action on two big stages, taste their creations, and bring their recipes home with you.
Guided Tastings/Seminars—Learn something new at 25 continuous seminars with topics for both the novice and the connoisseur. Famed speakers Leslie Sbrocco and Nicolas Jolly are just two of this year’s headliners.
Grand Cru Wine Lounge—Pamper yourself by visiting the ultra-special Grand Cru Wine Lounge. The Lounge is located in a private setting away from the show floor for your enjoyment. Sample the best of the best and relax in this intimate area.
Vintner Dinner—Enjoy a multi-course dinner prepared in collaboration with the wines being served.
A "Meet and Greet” the Winemakers—Meet your favorite winemakers in this new special feature area and learn the secrets of their wines.
According to Pat Moscaritolo, the President and CEO of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, the Wine Expo “attracts visitors to Boston from across the United States, as well as international visitors who have now come to appreciate Boston as a destination for its culinary offerings.”
Like the Spinazzola Gala, the Boston Wine Expo generates philanthropic dollars for many organizations. More than $700,000 has been distributed by the Boston Guild of Oenophilists, Inc. to many New England charities since the event's inception, including:
Tufts-New England Medical Center's Summer Camp Program for Children with Disabilities; Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Pan Mass Challenge; New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans; and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, to name but a few.
For tickets or more information about the “16th Annual Wine Expo,” please call 877-946-3976 or visit
www.wineexpoboston.com.
Father Bill’s Place Founder to be Honored
We are all invited to “A Celebration of Father Bill McCarthy of Father Bill's Place” on Saturday, February 10, in honor of Father Bill's 80th birthday and the 55th anniversary of his ordination.
Proceeds benefit Father Bill's Place and its programs and services for homeless and formerly homeless men, women and children on the South Shore.
The celebration begins at 4 p.m. with a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. John the Baptist Church in Quincy, followed by a reception, dinner and silent auction at Lantana's in Randolph beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The deadline for reservations is February 2. For ticket costs or more information, call the Development Office at 617-770-3314.
Horticulture Magazine to Sponsor Symposium
We cannot resist events with a horticultural theme and always manage to find them very “social” indeed, as do many of our readers. “Horticulture Magazine” is sponsoring a symposium “for people who love to live in their gardens” on Sunday, February 11, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Elm Bank Horticulture Center in Wellesley. The symposium, titled “Harmonious Planting Design,” is co-sponsored with The Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
The featured speakers include noted horticulturists Craig Bergmann, C. Colston Burrell, Nan Blake Sinton, Kathy Tracey and Keith Wiley. Registration includes all handouts and refreshments, as well as lunch. There will also be a book sale and “informal chat time” with the speakers.
Space is limited. For more information, call 877-436-7764 or visit www.hortmag.com.
Enjoy!
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