Art auction to raise funds for Kinship Partners

BREEZY POINT -- The 2001 Kinship Partners' Taste of the Lakes and Art Auction will be 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Breezy Point Convention Center. Tickets are $50 per person.

The goal is to raise $25,000 for Kinship Partners. Last year $24,000 was raised to support the area youth mentor program.

Taste of the Lakes is a gourmet extravaganza that includes food from the top area restaurants, artwork by 75 area artists and music by pianist Rob Teal. The event has been sold out the past three years. Tickets are available by calling 829-4606, (218) 568-4015 or (218) 546-7308.

This year approximately 20 chefs from area dining establishments will cook up their specialties for guests to sample. Restaurants participating include Market Place, Antlers, Black Bear Lodge, Breezy Point Resort, Famous Dave's, Kelly's, Red Pine Supper Club, Nisswa Grille, Piney Ridge Lodge, Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge, Scheela's Shanty, Cragun's, Quarterdeck and the Plaid Duck. Esser's Warehouse Liquors, Lake Region Beverage and Rohlfing Supply will provide wine and beer tasting.

Donations of paintings, sculptures, carvings, glass items, pottery and cloth have been received from 75 artists. These artworks will be offered by silent auction to the highest bidders throughout the evening.

Children and their mentors also get involved in the art auction by making art and craft items together that are offered for sale at the event. Many of these items are made from "kits" put together by Brainerd Service League members who donated the materials. A perennial hit at the art auction are fish prints items the children make at a Kinship activity lead by Carolyn Macy, who is known for her expertise with gyotaku, or fish printing as it is commonly called.

A door prize of tickets for two to the Ordway Theatre and dinner and accommodations at the St. Paul Hotel will be given away.

Honorary chair for the 2001 event is Diana Harms, Ms. Minnesota 2001. Bob Bundgaard, owner of KLKS radio, will be master of ceremonies.

All money raised from this event will go to the Kinship Partners mentor program to recruit, screen and match volunteers with children in need of a friend and role model. Currently, 50 boys and girls are on the waiting list for an adult partner.