The Huntsville Festival of the Arts fabulous May Marché food sampling and wine tasting evening is fast approaching.
This year’s event, to be held Friday May 25 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Deerhurst Resort, will feature a few new additions that are sure to be a hit with those in attendance.
As well as 13 restaurants, including Deerhurst Resort, Delta Grandview, Three Guys & a Stove, and Spencer’s Tall Trees, there will be 10 wineries from across the province and this year a special Muskoka martini station featuring Polar Ice vodka in a colourful concoction.
The Polar Diamond Group is the marché sponsor and will be providing a $3,000 value diamond pendant that will be raffled off throughout the evening. The Polar Diamond Group represents Polar Bear Diamonds and Polar Ice Diamonds, both of whose diamonds are mined, cut and polished in Canada.
Originating from Canada’s first producing diamond mine in the Northwest Territories just south of the Arctic Circle, these diamonds are carefully selected, measured and calibrated for their precise proportions and maximum brilliance. Only then do they receive their own specific “gemprint” that allows them to be registered in an international database.
The gemprint for the Polar Bear Diamond is actually a laser-engraved polar bear, ensuring you have a 100 per cent Canadian certified diamond.
Also featured at the marché this year are two large-ticket items that could well be great bargains. One is a new 2006 Seadoo Sportster 4-cylinder, 155 HP, sport boat and trailer provided by Lakeland MotorSports.
MAKE A BID: Huntsville Festival of the Arts directors Ross Kirwin (in the boat) and Mike Malone unveil two of the top silent auction items going on the block at the May Marché. Bids are being accepted in advance of the event with the purchase of a Marché ticket.
The boat has a retail value of $20,294 plus taxes and licence, but at the marché will be available for an opening bid of $16,500 plus taxes and licence.
Prior to the auction the boat can be viewed at Lakeland MotorSports – Hwy. 35 in Dwight – where bids can be placed. However, the bidders must pre-qualify by purchasing a marché ticket. They do not have to be at the marché for their bid to win.
The second large item is a 2003 “previously loved” Honda S 2000 2-litre sports coupe convertible, with leather package, supplied by Jason Armstrong’s Huntsville Honda. The car is currently listed on the lot for $35,900, plus taxes and licencing and is available for an opening bid of $30,000 plus taxes and licencing. As with the boat, the car can be viewed on the Huntsville Honda lot prior to the marché and bids will be accepted accompanied with the purchase of a marché ticket.
The May Marché is the Huntsville Festival of the Arts largest fundraiser and relies on the generosity of many community businesses, and individuals, for its success.
It is recommended that tickets be purchased early as the event sells out each year.
Tickets are $50 and limited to 425. They are available from Treasures and Trophies, Robinson’s Independent Grocer, the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, through the website at www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca, or by calling the festival office at 788-2787.
