Page 10 - Priorities #9 1999-March

All Aboard the
Hearthattrainwhistleblowin’? It’sthelastcallforthe20th century and the Woodside Priory community will hold its last big party of the 1900s aboard the 20th CENTURY LIMITED, grandest of a grand and powerful locomotive fleet.
For much of this century, this blue and silver train was a sleek symbol of human potential and success. It inspired glamorous photos in newspapers and magazines and was a featured player in stage shows and movies.
Running from New York to Chicago, with links to high-speed trains that went on to the Pacific Coast, the 20th CENTURY LIMITED was for many years the ultimate symbol of fast, modern, luxurious travel.
That sophistication and elegance of that travel experience will set the tone for this year’s fund-raising auction and ball, set for the evening of May 1 at the Hotel Sofitel.
From their first step in the door, auction guests will be enveloped in the sights and sounds of New York’s Grand Central Station circa 1938, the
LIMITED’sinauguralyear. Anauthenticredcarpet leads guests to the ticket office. The “train car”
rooms beyond are decorated to feel like a ride through mid-century America.
“The feeling will be spacious. We have five rooms filled with wonderful live and silent auction items. Hors d-oeuvres
and beverages are in an open area at the end of the displays and there should be plenty of
space for people to move among the rooms and enjoy the auction,” said Cindy Davison. Cindy
and Wayne Davison co-chair the event. Little “vignettes,” scenes of delectable
auction treats, will draw the eye to the display tables. Uniformed “tour guides” in each room
will point out the special sites - the highlight items, the special buys, the one-of-a- kind finds on the auction tables - as
guests pass through.
“It’s going to be a wonderful evening and it supports an important
cause, which is our students’ education”, said Tim Molak. Like other private schools, WPS cannot support its programs with tuition alone. The annual auction and ball is the school’s only social fund-raiser and its proceeds help maintain the quality of education that parents, students and faculty expect, he explained.
For the first time ever, an advance look at the program is available on-line. Thedisplayofspeciallyselectedauctionitemsandhelpful information is regularly updated with new materials — just look for the 20th CENTURY LIMITED bar on the school web site, http://www. woodsidepriory.com.
Items are rolling in to tantalize every budget and every taste. Would you like great buys in premium wines, or a winery tour with tasting?
for the WPS
Auction and Ball!
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