Although you may doubt it at this moment in time, you will be eager for a party by the time “A Taste for Wine and Jazz XXX” rolls around on Jan. 20. Trust me on this.
Yes, you are partied out at the moment, and probably want nothing to do with luscious food and enticing drinks. But after enduring two weeks of January weather in Ohio and the same-old, same-old of facing the elements in your daily life, you will be ready for a good time. And Darke County Center for the Arts’ fun-based fund-raiser promises to deliver just that—and more.
Your ticket purchase will benefit DCCA’s many enriching presentations, including the Arts In Education program that presents high-quality performing artists for students in all grades of every local public school, as well as the summertime residency by Missoula Children’s Theatre which offers local youngsters the opportunity for hands-on participation in a full-blown musical theater production at Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall. The great good accomplished by these and other DCCA services is worthy of motivating “A Taste of Wine and Jazz” ticket purchases, but that’s only one of many reasons to attend.
Music will be provided by the Kim Kelly combo, whose set list includes ballads from the Great American Songbook as well as up-tempo selections that will set toes to tapping. Band leader Kim Kelly says that the evening will begin with easy-going tunes, allowing the crowd to ease into the evening, but that the rhythms will ramp up as the night progresses. Kelly plays drums and also provides vocals, as does his guitarist, Gary Johnson. Rounding out the group are keyboardist Dave Haworth, who was with the Air Force Band for many years, bass player Pete Rauch, and one of two amazing saxophonists, either Randy Villars or Hal Melia, depending upon their schedules. The Kim Kelly orchestra had its beginning in 1974 at Carroll High School in Dayton, and during the ensuing years has become one of the area’s most popular ensembles.
Montage proprietor Aaron Cox will choose the featured wines, and with his wife, Michelle, plan and prepare delectable food to appropriately accompany the chosen beverages. If past events are any guide, the couple’s collaborative choices will sparkle with ingenuity and flavor, providing alluring savory enticements for fully enjoying this feast for all the senses.
Fun abounds at this event; old friends often arrive in groups, but new friends are sometimes made as casual conversations break out all over the room. You will see your neighbors here, as well as people from surrounding counties. The eclectic crowd will include doctors and nurses and lawyers and secretaries and housekeepers and carpenters and farmers and business CEO’s. Several delightful door prizes will be given away, and a cork pull providing the chance to win one of 30 bottles of wine and ultimately to claim that most prestigious of champagnes, Moet and Chandon’s Dom Perignon will add to the festivities.
A good time, a good cause, good music and good food and drink—what more could you ask? All of this goodness will pull you out of the winter doldrums that will arrive for most of us within the next few bleak and frigid days. Tickets for “A Taste of Wine and Jazz” are $35, and can be reserved by contacting DCCA at 937-547-0908 or [email protected] or purchased at Montage or at DCCA’s Website CenterForArts.net. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m. Be there!
