· Travelers Sunset Affair

Here is a sampling of some of the delightful treasures you will discover at Travelers Sunset Affair…

Silent Auction Items

• Be one of the first to ring in spring in 2009 with a private coffee and dessert party for 12 in the Bailey Nurseries greenhouses.  Donated by Jo and Gordon Bailey.
  
  
• Bowling party at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park.  Celebrate that special event with a bowling party for up to 40 people.  Includes bowling and shoes for six bowling lanes.
  
  
• Have the Bibelot all to your self!  Enjoy a private two hour shopping event at the Bibelot Shop in St. Paul for you and 10 guests.  This lovely Saturday or Sunday evening event includes light hors d'oeuvres plus a $50 gift certificate.

Interested in donating an auction item? Click here.

Live Auction Items

• A stunning, one-of-a-kind Japanese kimono!  This beautiful wedding kimono is handcrafted from ivory silk with real gold thread.  It comes complete with its own stand so you can display it with the rest of your artwork.
  
  
• Learn from the master! You and five friends will attend a private Saturday morning cooking class with Vincent Francoual, the famed chef of Vincent – A Restaurant in Minneapolis. Enjoy lunch with wine immediately following the class.
  
  
• Experience a unique cultural event – a private Japanese Tea Ceremony for eight people in the Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden Tea House.  A catered lunch will follow the ceremony.

Treasure Chest

Remember the evening with a commemorative key.  Buy a key for $75 and it may open the Treasure Chest which holds a beautiful necklace designed by Jake Fuhrman.  This 14k white with rose gold diamond and gem stone adjustable necklace features over 12 carats of pink sapphires, diamonds, Swiss blue topaz, amethyst, citrine, peridot and tourmaline.  The necklace is adjustable from 16 to 21.5 inches and it weighs 16dwt. Estimated value is over $5,000. Only 100 commemorative keys are available.

Fund-a-Need

At the end of the live auction, guests will have the opportunity to donate to this year’s fund-a-need project, Blooming Butterflies.  Blooming Butterflies is a 2,520 square foot immersion screened exhibit of live butterflies and plants. Fund-a-need dollars will be used to purchase lava and butterflies for the exhibit.   Individuals who donate $100 or more will receive a live butterfly to release in the Enchanted Garden.

This year honorary chairs, Ron and Marilyn Mitsch, have also issued a challenge grant for fund-a-need.  The Mitsch’s have generously offered to match up to $10,000 of funds raised.  The butterfly image, which often means a new beginning, holds a special place in the Mitsch family's heart.