Food from some of Historic Old Mandeville's favorite restaurants,
music and a silent auction will be on tap from 5-8 pm Saturday, May 15, as part of a benefit for the St. Francis Animal Sanctuary that is
recovering from a fire at its fund raising thrift store on April 11.
The event, sponsored by the Old Mandeville Business Association,
will take place at Good Earth Market & Cafe, 821 Girod St., Mandeville, both inside the organic market and in the parking lot that will be sealed off to vehicles. Parking will be available across the street in the branch library parking lot.
Admission will be $10 with all proceeds going to St. Francis which
maintains a large no-kill dog and cat facility in Tylertown, Miss. The
thrift store at Girod and Monroe streets in Old Mandeville was a major
fund raising venture to help feed the more than 450 dogs housed on
average in Tylertown. It had just marked its first year of operation
when the fire hit, destroying much of the donated thrift store inventory and food and other pet supplies stored in a back room awaiting transport to the Mississippi facility.
All food, beverages and entertainment is being donated. The benefit
has been organized by business association members Paul Williamson, owner of Good Earth and Richard Boyd, a board member and officer. Londi Moore, executive director of St. Francis, Judy Pfister and Adele Foster, manager of the thrift store, are organizing the silent auction that will be conducted by St. Francis volunteers.
Food is being provided by Good Earth, The Lakehouse, Vianne's Tea Salon & Cafe, Tess Dennie, Realtor/Sterling ERA Properties and Dr. Catherine Wilbert of the Nutrition Co. with desserts.
Providing music will be Mandeville area blues musician, songwriter, vocalist and jewelry maker Dyane Mitchell; the Old Mandeville All-Stars blues band featuring the legendary Blind Satsuma Conner on blues harp; and the Damn Hippies, a Mandeville based classic rock band.
Christian Serpas, leader of the band Ghost Town, will be celebrity
master of ceremonies. "We will have plenty of tables outside for people to sit, dine and listen to music,'' said Williamson. "Our foot booths and performing stage and the silent auction tables will all be in the parking lot and there will be plenty of seating inside the market also."
Admission tickets will only be sold at the event.
Moore said St. Francis volunteers will have a table with information
about the facility and its work rescuing and offering for adoption
abandoned and stray dogs and cats. "People can join or make a donation to help us in our work with the animals that night,'' she said.
Pfister, an Old Mandeville resident overseeing the collection of
silent auction items, said since the fire, the community has responded,
donating some impressive items that will be on the tables available for
bidding during the auction.
"We are thankful and grateful to OMBA for stepping forward and
putting on what is going to be a very exciting evening of great food and great music and we expect a large turnout and all this financial support will help us continuing to feed the dogs until we are fully back on our feet,'' Moore said.
Since the fire, the thrift store has re-opened in temporary quarters
at 831 U.S. 190 (Florida Blvd.) in Pelican Plaza next to Wabi Sabi
Consignment Shop and The Triple Nickel Grill at the eastern edge of the City of Mandeville.