"Stand Up! A Celebration" -- December 7, 2001

Friends,

Our STAND UP! A Celebration was a wonderful success. Over 80 people attended, putting the Ozark Mountain Smokehouse at capacity for seating.

A friendly festive mood permeated the crowd, enhanced by a cheery fire in the natural stone fireplace and the aroma of fine food. Great acoustics of the high, open beam ceiling worked to the advantage of our musicians, Claudia Burson on keyboard and Jim Greeson on acoustic bass, who entertained with a rich slate of jazz arrangements.

Arrivals checked in at the entry table, including many who were not our "regular" supporters -- such as an emeritus professor and his wife, perhaps best known for his poetry reading at President Clinton's inauguration. Also attending was the Episcopalian minister and his wife, a prominent couple in Fayetteville's progressive community, and the Fayetteville mayor and his wife, who dropped by and stayed after attending a benefit at the Walton Arts Center. Our supporters came from as far away as Mountain Home, Little Rock, Hot Springs, Eureka Springs, and Rogers to join the festivities.

A selection of exotic wines were available, a selection made personally by Frank Sharp of the Smokehouse and served by Smokehouse staff Tamie, along with organic fruit juices (Ozark Cooperative Warehouse) and coffee (Arsaga's). First taste treats were an arrangement of proscuitto ham (1936 Club) and thin-sliced bread (Arsaga's) plus a platter of layered dip with fresh chips and salsa (Jose's) and a cocktail nut mix seasoned with tamari (Summercorn Foods).

The main buffet line quickly became crowded after a few folks walked through the room with plates heaping with food. A tossed salad of baby greens and spinach was offered, along with a Caesar salad (Pesto Cafe). Next in line was Mexican casserole (Rolling Pin Cafe), beef fajitas with all the trimmings (Tuesday), Shepherd's Pie (Sassafras), Spring Rolls (A Taste of Thai), and Vegetable Lasagne (Pesto Cafe), of course with ample breads, butter, and dressings. Desserts abounded with fresh cherry and
apple pie (Rolling Pin) and pound cake, brownies, biscotti, and baked apples from Harriet Neiman's kitchen (formerly North Forty), plus a side platter of fresh pears, apples, and cheeses.

An array of items offered for silent auction were presented along tables at the side of the room, where folks could easily view and jot down their bids throughout the evening. Elayne Hency and Darrel Henschell conducted the auction, pronouncing final bids on everything from shishkabob skewers (Middle Fork Metal Works) to a framed print (Don House). Randy Childers helped gather in the payment for each item as it was sold. A final batch of donated tee shirts (Neighborhood Wine & Spirits, NLR) were auctioned in open bidding. Without taking the time here to list all the other wonderful items donated for our auction, we will list the donors, because they deserve your Christmas shopping consideration:
 

Handmade, 7 E. Mountain, Fay'vl
Dark Star Visuals, N. Block, Fay'vl
Condom Sense, Dickson St., Fay'vl
Newmarket Naturals, Huntsville Rd., Fay'vl
Flying Possum Leather, Dickson St., Fay'vl
Willow & Luke Block, Pettigrew
Sound Warehouse, N. Block, Fay'vl
Enigma, N. Block, Fay'vl
Christine Weiss, Clinton -- webservices
Gaylord's Mountain Cafe, W. Mountain, Fay'vl
Jon Schader, artist
R. James Salon
Passages, 2332 N. College, Fay'vl
Phil's Computers, Fiesta Square, Fay'vl
Sidney's Emporium, Dickson, Fay'vl
Elayne's Dance, 521-6683
Summercorn Foods, Fay'vl
Fayetteville Athletic Club, Hwy 265 N. Fay'vl

Our gross proceeds for this event were around $1500, with all costs not yet tallied. We should net around $1200, which is more than we had hoped for in an event planned primarily as a time of relaxation and fun for our supporters. A few of us didn't relax much, since the event turned into a lot of work, but we still had fun!

A special thanks to Deste, Jeb, and Kadie Campbell for helping their mom Denele in setting up, working the entry table (along with friend Jeff) and the serving line (with friend Chuck). We also thank Elayne for her work in just about every phase of event development, Darrel for all his work, and Randy for being there to drag everything home afterwards. Also thanks to Sharon for writing the Thank You notes.

I personally apologize for the lateness of this report, nearly a week after the event, but our grant proposal deadline was December 6, with less than 10 days advance notice, so the accountant and I spent a very grim few days after the celebration trying to finalize a grant proposal that would bring in $35,000 of funding for our 2002 operations. We won't know til after Jan 1 whether we receive the funding.

We hope your holiday season is rich with family, friends, and good cheer for each of you and that you join us restored and ready for the hard work of reform in 2002, as we aim our efforts at bringing Arkansas legislators into the reform camp, in preparation for the January 2003 legislative session. Yet as high as we may set our aspirations for reform, we can each take real encouragement from what we have done so far -- the fact that we have begun the drug policy reform discussion in Arkansas, where nothing was being done before we began. Congratulations to each of you!

Happy Holidays!