U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell will be the guest of honor Nov. 6 at a benefit dinner and VIP champagne reception celebrating the 54th anniversary of the founding of the Southern Great Lakes Symphony and Dingell’s 54 years of public service.
The fund-raising event will be held at the Flat Rock Community Center, One McGuire St., with the reception starting at 5:30 p.m. and the dinner and program at 6:30.
Included in the program will be remarks by Lt. Gov. John Cherry, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, and General Motors vice president Robert Lutz. Among the guests will be Wayne County Circuit Judge Christopher Dingell, Dr. John Hartig and Kathy Angerer.
In addition, musical selections will be performed by symphony ensembles. The orchestra’s music di-rector, Charles Greenwell, will be master of ceremo-nies. State Rep. Deb Kennedy and Dr. Robert Carrier are co-chairs of the fund-raiser.
Originally known as the Allen Park Symphony, the orchestra was renamed in 1995 to reflect the wide scope of its audience.
Tickets for the benefit are $175 per person for the reception, dinner and program ($300 per couple) and $100 per person for the dinner and program. For tick-ets or more information, call (734) 675-5333 or go to www.sgls.org.
The SGLS season will open Nov. 15 at the Community Center with a concert entitled “Strings and Things” featuring violinist Jorja Fleezanis.
‘Sweet Harvest’ party scheduled
Members of the Taylor Conservatory Foundation will celebrate a sweet and bountiful year at its fourth annual fall fund-raiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Crystal Gardens Banquet Center, 16703 Fort. St. Southgate.
The event will feature a grilled beef tenderloin dinner, live and silent auctions and entertainment by the 8:14 jazz trio with singer Jill Ryan.
Tickets, $50, are available by calling Patty Dona-hue at 888-383-4108 or visiting [email protected].
‘Wine for Spirit’ is set for Nov. 7
“Wine for the Spirit,” an evening of fine wines and food, live entertainment and live and silent auctions is slated for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at the MGM Grand Detroit to raise funds for the Oakwood Healthcare System Foundation.
A special feature will be a high-end wine-tasting room with a $5 admission charge.
More than 160 items will be offered at the auc-tions, including dining and entertainment opportuni-ties, sports memorabilia, jewelry, paintings and sculp-tures.
The event has raised more than $4.1 million over the last 14 years for heart and vascular programs and other community-based health programs that serve those in the Oakwood service area.
Tickets, $150, and more information are available by calling (313) 586-5234 or going to www.oakwood.org/foundation.
Save the date . . .
Now-Jan 3 — Lego Castle Adventure, multimedia family exhibit with hand-on-activities; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; admission, $15, adults; $14, seniors; $11 youths (under 5, free); for more information, call (313) 982-6001 or visit www.TheHenryFord.org.
Nov. 12 — Downriver Town Hall Lecture Series talk by Candice DeLong, former FBI agent; 11 a.m. at Crystal Gardens, 16703 Fort St., Southgate; for ticket information, call (734) 783-9224.
Nov. 21 — Preview party for the 25th annual Fes-tival of Trees, fund-raiser for Children’s Hospital of Michigan; 6:30 to 11 p.m. at the Allen Park Municipal Auditorium, 16850 Southfield; for tickets ($75, adults, $25, children), go to www.fot.org; the festival will con-tinue from Nov. 22 through 29, except Thanksgiving, with tickets available at the door (adults, $5, and chil-dren, $3 (under 2, free).