Festival of Trees…gonna be different this year…

April Brown is coming to SJCT....

It’s in December, but I reckon this is as good a time as any to get started with your planning. The 20th Anniversary has the Community Theatre bringing in a famous auctioneer named April Brown…here’s more, from SJCT’s Jan Bollwinkel-Smith:

Its theme of “20 Magical Years” also means shaking things up for the annual Festival of Trees at the San Juan Community Theatre on Saturday, December 5.

Tickets go on sale this week to the public for the Theatre’s major fundraiser of the year; and the Community Arts Theatre Society (CATS) is hoping some key changes will attract increased participation in the event.

“The celebration of CATS’ and the Theatre’s 20th anniversary seemed a perfect time to make some big changes to this very important fundraiser for the Theatre,” said CATS president Pat Nieman.

That transformation focuses on creating more excitement, theatrics and interaction for guests, including more lobby activities during the silent auction as well as the addition of professional auctioneer April Brown of Seattle, whose motto is “Every time I open my mouth, YOU make money.”

The formal event will begin with guests enjoying gourmet appetizers and wine from Roche Harbor executive chef Bill Shaw along with a few optional games with prizes, while viewing and bidding on silent auction items.  Live entertainment produced by Ted Soares and a special video showcasing children’s theater and arts education are next on the program inside the Whittier Theatre.

Brown, founder of Charity Auction World and an 18-year veteran auctioneer who once sold a day on the set of Oprah for $100,000, then takes over production of the live auction.  Her husband, Mike Brown (reporter for 710 KIRO News-radio) will serve as master of ceremonies, and Neil Scott of Sports-Radio 950 KJR will be the catalog reader.

Brown says her goal is to make audience members and donors feel like “superstars” for the evening.  “We work really hard at connecting with the audience,” she said.  “We’ll make it a fun and lively, fast-paced interactive event–we don’t want folks just sitting quietly in the audience.”  The key, Brown added, is that at what ever financial level, folks all have the same goal of raising money for this very important community treasure.

In addition to the live auction changes, this year’s Festival will not include a preview on Friday night.  Instead, silent auction items will be on display inside the Gubelman Theatre beginning Tuesday, December 1, and open for bidding by members of the public during the week leading up to the event on December 5.

A complete description of the more than 30 live auction items will soon be available for viewing on the Theatre’s website (www.sjctheatre.org.)  These include a dinner for eight catered by Downrigger’s executive chef, a Bronze cat sculpture by Jocelyn Russell and a painting workshop and luncheon with San Juan Island artist Ann Walbert.

Tickets for Festival of Trees are $75 per person.   Reservations may be made by calling CATS at 378-3210, ext. 32.

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