Light the Night hair shaving
Jen Knott of Salon JoElle in Taylor shaves the head of Ryan Omaits of Grosse Ile, one of five men who volunteered to have their heads shaved to raise funds for the Downriver Light the Night Walk in Wyandotte. The other volunteers were David Guth, Richard Fox and father and son Tom and Dan Kerr, who lost their locks in memory of Tom’s brother.
By Evelyn Cairns
The Downriver Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Oct. 8 in Wyandotte raised a remarkable $65,000, surpassing its goal by $5,000, said Stephanie Holland, campaign manager for Light the Night walks throughout southeast Michigan.
This year’s Downriver walk was “absolutely incredible,” she said, with hundreds of individual walkers, teams and local businesses coming together with fundraising efforts.
Team Giammalva was the top fundraising team, reporting more than $4,200 in contributions. Teams Gruds and Pops, tied for second place at almost $3,000 each.
Walkers who have survived blood cancers carried white illuminated balloons; supporters, red balloons; and those who have lost loved ones, gold balloons.
Before the step-off, participants were entertained by master of ceremonies Carey Ann the Clown and Carey Ann’s Clown Caravan. In addition, the walkers were served food, beverages and snacks donated by The Rhapsody and TV’s Deli and Diner. In addition, a bag raffle offered dozens of prizes, and attendees were encouraged to visit a bone-marrow registry.
The Aisin World Corp. was the cash sponsor for the event, and the largest retail partner was Burlington Coat Factory’s Taylor store, which has raised nearly $11,000 for the L&LS to date through donations acknowledged by the display of paper balloons at the store’s checkout counters. The store’s goal is to raise over $13,000 by the end of its drive on Nov. 26.
Festival of Arts set in Trenton
A silent auction for a painting by award-winning and nationally known artist Heiner Hertling, a memorial to the late Rosalind Meyer and an awards ceremony will highlight the opening reception of the Fall Festival of the Arts from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Trenton Village Theatre.
The festival, a combined effort of the Downriver Arts & Crafts Guild, Acanthus Art Society, Art Ambience and the Downriver Council for the Arts, will continue from noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 5 and 6 and noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 7.
The event combines a juried fine arts show and a non-juried Christmas Craft Boutique offering original artwork and crafts. Nine Prizes totaling $900 will be awarded in the juried event, with Marjorie Hogan Chellstorp as juror.
Chellstorp, who received a master of fine arts degree at the University of Iowa, also studied at the Chicago Art Institute. She has been an assistant professor of art and humanities at Madonna College and an instructor at Belian Art Center in Troy.
Among the crafted items for sale will be hand-painted wine glasses, fused and silver jewelry, painted wine boxes, ceramics, purses, scarves, cards and decorated acrylic photo frames.
Dr. Noel and Debbie Jackson are honorary chairmen of the festival, which will take place in the Rosalind and Richard Meyer Gallery of the theatre, at 2447 W. Jefferson.
For additional information, call Maureen Cassidy Keast at (734) 777-6109.
Lara Semetko to be honored
Lara Semetko of Grosse Ile will be among the honorees receiving awards Oct. 27 at the Wayne County Council for Arts, History and Humanities’ annual Recognition Awards ceremony.
The program is scheduled for 7 p.m. on the 32nd floor of the Guardian Building, 500 Griswold, Detroit, with a reception to follow. The first Guardian Art Ex-hibit will be on display at the event.
Semetko, who will receive the Young Artist Award, was a runner-up in the Downriver Idol contest conducted by the Southern Great Lakes Symphony in February. In June, she was featured at a Bellini Op-era/Bellini Music recital and was one of three opera singers who performed the same month at the Downriver Council for the Arts fund-raiser “Pasta & Puccini.”
For additional information, call (313) 943-3095.
Coming up . . .
Oct. 28 — Benefit dinner for the Henry Ford Community College Scholarship Fund; at the Evergreen Road campus Fifty-One One restaurant; for tickets, $45, and more information, call (313) 845-9620.
Nov. 11 — Downriver Town Hall lecture by Anne Thompson, chief financial correspondent for NBC-TV news; 11 a.m. at Crystal Gardens, 16703 Fort St., Southgate; for ticket information, call (734) 783-9224.