LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
Wineology, located at 614 North Main Street in Paris, will have something for everyone age 21 and older on Saturday, Aug.10. More importantly, the proceeds from the event will all go to a community-minded cause.
Doors open at 5 p.m. for the Rec Center’s ‘Pouring for a Purpose’ raffle – an event the Rec’s community liaison, Ben Lueken, believes will provide a relaxing evening for all participants.
“I wanted to come up with a unique way for the public to enjoy an evening,” Lueken explained, later adding, “The night is going to be fun-filled, there will be free entertainment.”
The $20 admission price will grant patrons access to several side raffles, live music, heavy hors d’oeuvres, desserts, free wine and bourbon tastings as well as a menu of cocktails and other mixed drinks available for purchase. A tent will also be set up for outdoor seating and entertainment.
“We decided to do the tent and have people in and out, and have a nice, big, celebratory weekend before school,” said Erin Hutchison, the Rec Center’s Executive Director.
The main attraction, a 1,000-ticket drawing for 15 high-quality bottles of bourbon, starts at 7 p.m. The drawing, which Hutchison regards as Lueken’s brainchild, was inspired by previous raffles the Rec has hosted and the popularity of artisan bourbon. According to Hutchison, the event is receiving plenty of interest from the community.
“We’ve had a lot of interest in it, people are calling and registering for the event. A lot of people appreciate a good bourbon,” she said.
Tickets for the raffle will cost $25 apiece. Participants will be entered to win one of the following:
“There will be 15 chances to get 15 really nice bourbons,” Hutchison explained.
Every drop of funding will go straight to the Rec’s ‘Dive In For The Future’ Capital Campaign, an effort to reopen the Rec Center’s long-dormant aquatics center and pool. The facility, located in the Rec Center’s west wing, closed in 2009.
The campaign’s ultimate fundraising target is $3 million, an amount that will cover repairs and remodels to the natatorium as well as the long-term preservation of the facility and its programs. Costs include maintenance, pool chemicals, electricity and staffing for regular pool hours and programs, and will mount quickly once renovations are complete.
So far, the Rec is roughly two-thirds of the way to its goal.
“We got a lot of money upfront, and we’re all trying to put our heads together to raise the rest of it… we’re going to, we have to, we’re going to get there one way or another,” Hutchison said.
Events like the ‘Pouring for a Purpose’ raffle are meant to jumpstart fundraising efforts and educate the community on the benefits the facility can provide for Rec members, local schools and healthcare facilities.
“They can learn about the capital campaign we are in the midst of (at the event),” Lueken said, adding, “A lot of people in the community really want to see the pool get started.”
Even though The Rec Center is still pushing to meet its fundraising goal, progress has already been made on the remodel. Steel framing is installed in the walls surrounding the pool, and the facility’s locker rooms are gutted and waiting for new equipment. Still, there is much work to do before the natatorium is reopened, work that will have to wait until contractors are available again and blueprints for the remainder of the project are approved by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
“This is going to be a long process, and we’re trying to do the best we can to kind of piecemeal some of the stuff that we can do (now)… we’re kind of at the mercy of everybody’s schedule,” Hutchison explained.
Anyone interested in making a donation, registering for the ‘Pouring with a Purpose’ raffle event, or learning more about the Rec’s Capital Campaign can visit www.parisrec.org or call 217-466-9622. Donations of side raffle items will be accepted until the night of the event. Tickets and raffle entries will be available at the door.
Hutchison hopes the raffle, and the cause behind it, will be something the community can toast to.
“Everybody supports each other, and when we all come together we all win,” she said.