By popular demand, the Saskatchewan Festival of Words, headquartered at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre, is bringing back its pre-COVID-19 "Wines around the World" fundraiser at the Grant Hall Hotel on Friday, Feb. 2 from 7 to 10 p.m.
"This is a fundraiser that we hosted pre-COVID, to pretty massive success for us, and we've had people asking about it for at least the past year," said Amanda Farnel, executive director of the Festival of Words.
"So we thought, well, it's time to bring it back. We host it at the Grant Hall, and it's a wine night where we do five wines, paired with specialty food that we work on with the chef at Grant Hall.
"And together we make a special menu for the night, and it's all meticulously paired. We actually have a volunteer on our fundraising committee who has taken sommelier courses, so they're great at knowing what works with what, and taking flavour profiles into account and all of that."
The Festival of Words is responsible for Saskatchewan's largest annual literary festival — and one of Moose Jaw's biggest yearly events — known across Canada and beyond for its passionate organizers, supporters, and attendees. The 2023 Festival of Words took place from July 13 to 16 and featured a lineup of authors, poets, journalists, comedians, performers, musicians, and more, presenting at venues across Moose Jaw.
Attendees at the 2023 event heard from presenters such as international fantasy legend Guy Gavriel Kay, comedian Ali Hassan, Giller Prize-winner Suzette Mayr, and journalist/researcher/author Tamara Cherry, who spent 15 years as a crime reporter in Toronto.
The Festival of Words also puts on smaller events throughout the year, including their one-day LitCon workshop/conference event, usually held in February, their Cineview TIFF film presentations at the Mae Wilson, Writers in Schools program, and monthly Performer's Cafes.
The Wines around the World event will feature live music, a silent auction including valuable items like Yvette Moore paintings and stay-cation packages, and a raffle for a "pretty significant" wine basket, Farnel said.
"It's February 2nd at the Grant Hall, tickets are on sale now," she added. "Single tickets are on sale for $75, or you can buy a table for six for $400, which gives you a discount on the individual price. Each ticket also comes with a $30 charitable tax receipt.
"It's all in support of the Festival of Words, so we hope to see lots of people from our local community that night."
Tickets to Wines around the World are available from the Saskatchewan Festival of Words website at www.festivalofwords.com/wines-around-the-world.
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