Kimberly Crest Soiree Commences, Rain or Shine

The annual Kimberly Crest Soiree held on Sunday, Oct. 4 turned out to be a success for the non-profit organization, even with the unexpected challenge of a rainy day. Kimberly Crest House and Gardens is the backdrop for The Soiree each year. But, with rain forecast for all day on Sunday the location had to be changed at the last minute. Tonja Blankenship, Executive Director of Kimberly Crest said, “A variety of options were considered, and ultimately it was decided the event would be held at Esri Cafe. We were fortunate that this venue was made available to us for the event. The Esri Café was the perfect alternative to the outdoor venue of Kimberly Crest. The transparency of the café’s glass wall design brought the outside in, yet kept the rain out. We were very fortunate the event was able to move forward.” As the evening began, guests were welcomed with a glass of champagne at check-in before making their way through the silent auction. Attendees perused through dozens of vacation and dinner packages, tickets to athletic events, fine art and much more for the silent and live auctions donated by local businesses and individuals. Guests were also offered a selection of tasty hors d’oeuvres that included pumpkin-cranberry crisps with brie cheese, misdemeanor mushrooms, and bacon wrapped breadsticks. Following the silent auction, dinner was served by Qworks. Dinner included a salad of spring greens with feta cheese, dried cranberries and vidalia onion dressing and a main course of smoked tri-tip with mushroom aus jus, signature cheese potatoes and green beans with rustic fire roasted tomatoes and onion. The meal concluded with a dessert of pineapple cake with cream cheese rum frosting. According to Sue Totzke, KSA Board Member, “the food was great, the service was great. And what is fascinating is that the owners of Qworks turned a hobby into a weekend business. They all have regular jobs during the week, but enjoy their hobby so much they made it official with a caterer business on the weekends.” The live auction was presided over by the dynamic duo of Neal Waner and Jerry Fields. At the close of the live auction a paddle bid was held to raise funds for improvement projects in the garden near the upper pond area. Finishing out the evening, Jerry Fields acted as Game Show Host in the crowd favorite, Redlands Jeopardy, with Tara Fernandez joining the cast this year as his assistant. This year Paul Barich, Paul Shimoff, and Paul Foster competed. It was the battle of the three Paul’s. In the end, Mayor Paul Foster came out ahead! The fundraiser turned out to be a beautiful event that was able to raise money for the beloved Redlands estate. Larry Munz, President of the Kimberly-Shirk Association, said, “It was a fantastic evening where people came together to support the historic house and garden. Without the support of the community, there would be no Kimberly Crest, and everyone showed their support at the 2015 Soiree.” Coming up next at Kimberly Crest is October’s Second Sunday Program: Victorian Halloween on Sunday, Oct. 11 from 1-4 p.m. There will be a special museum display, snacks, games, and a fun craft! Visit KimberlyCrest.org or like us on Facebook for more information.