When the board of directors of the Verde Valley Sanctuary began brainstorming ideas for a 2014 fundraiser, their goal was to offer local residents a completely unique party. The result is Picnic in the Moonlight, which takes place May 18 at 4 p.m. outdoors at Sky Ranch Lodge on Airport Mesa. The casual evening includes live country-western music, line-dancing lessons, a beer and wine bar as well as an espresso bar, a photo booth, a silent auction and a country store.
The highlight of the event will be the gourmet picnic baskets donated by area restaurants. When guests arrive, they will be directed to a carnival-style dart balloon game. All restaurant baskets will be color coded, so partygoers will try to pop the corresponding colored balloon to feast on the basket of their choice. Each picnic basket will contain a gourmet multicourse dinner for two people. The restaurant lineup includes Barking Frog Grille, ChocolaTree Organic Eatery, Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante, The Field, The Grille at ShadowRock, Heartline Café, Judi’s Restaurant & Lounge, Oak Creek Brewery & Grill, Reds Restaurant, Rene at Tlaquepaque, SchoolHouse Restaurant and Timo. Once you’ve won your basket, it’s time to dine at tables adorned with red-checkered tablecloths.
The other centerpiece of the night will be a country store where ticket holders can purchase handcrafted items such as quilts, aprons, potholders, jams and jellies, honey, farm-fresh eggs and pies. All proceeds will benefit Verde Valley Sanctuary, a multiservice agency for victims of family violence and abuse. Funds raised will benefit the sanctuary’s 28-bed shelter and community programs, says Jane Hausner, the organization’s executive director. In 2013, the sanctuary provided 15,000 meals and 5,000 nights of shelter
“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and after doing more formal events in the past, we decided to do something casual,” says Jane. “The evening will have a social, country fair feeling – picnic with your friends and neighbors on a beautiful Sunday evening and raise money for a very important cause. What could be better?” – Erika Ayn Finch
SEDONA CALENDAR: Events, activities, shows, happenings
