Charity Wine Tasting Event April 1 in Great Bend

If you attend the April 1 Charity Wine Tasting Event in Great Bend, you’ll spend an evening sipping fine wine and other vintage spirits, tasting a plethora of tasty hors d’oeuvres, listening to soft, live music, and bidding on nearly 50 items up for auction.

All proceeds from the event, which is presented by the Catholic Social Service Endowment, will benefit Catholic Social Service’s Infant and Special Needs Adoption Program. CSS staff currently is working with more than 30 children in the program, all of whom suffer special physical or emotional needs.

The Charity Wine Tasting Event will take place Friday, April 1, from 7-10 p.m. at The Club at Stoneridge in Great Bend.

According to Shirley Lytle, CSS Endowment Coordinator, last year’s event raised approximately $8,000 for the program. This is the fourth annual wine tasting event that the CSS Endowment has presented.

The cost for the night is $25, which includes hors d’oeuvres and 12 wine-tasting tickets, each of which allows the user to taste a single beverage. Legally, wine tasting organizers must limit the tastings to 12 per person.

"It’s well worth their money," Lytle said. "They have drinks for the evening, and ‘heavy’ hors d’oeuvres, such as sandwiches, meatballs, and those Lil’ Smokey’s. Basically, it’s a meal.

"In addition to the wines, Standard Beverage, [which is distributing the beverages], is bringing a variety of drinks to try," Lytle added. "They’re bringing sparkling wines, premium single malt Scotch, gin, bourbon, and vodkas," among others.

Last year, more than 150 people attended the event.

Rounding out the evening will be a live and silent auction of donated items, such as a week’s stay in a cabin in the Colorado Rockies, a week in a timeshare at one of several locations across the country, three "very large" lead crystal candlesticks, various weekend packages, a "Cajun basket" with various Cajun spices, and an autographed football from the Miami Dolphins.

Also auctioned will be the traditional "event picture," an original artwork, copies of which have been used in advertisements leading up to the wine tasting. This year’s piece, a 16x20-inch chalk drawing, is by artist Summer Snodgrass.

Lytle expects to have nearly 50 items and packages up for bid by the night of the auction.

The evening also will include music by recording artist guitarist Richard F. Falcon, Jr., whose top-selling CD, "Send Angels" has sold world-wide. Along with "Send Angels," songs from his second album, "Moon Dance," which was released in 2003, have received significant air-play on Kansas radio. "Eagle Radio" in Great Bend has called "Moon Dance" the most outstanding album from a Kansas artist.

As an infant, Falcon was adopted through the Great Bend office of Catholic Social Service of the Diocese of Dodge City.

Tickets for the event must be ordered in advance so that organizers can determine the amount of food to have prepared. For more information and tickets, contact Shirley Lytle of Catholic Social Service in Great Bend at (620) 792-1393, or toll-free, (800) 794-9756, or email her at slytle@cpcis.net.

The Club at Stoneridge is located at 24th and Frey in Great Bend.