2014 Gala glitters

from Melanie Shubitowski – Erie Sisters President and Gala Director


The 2014 Gala took place Nov 19-23 at the Avalon Hotel in Erie. The event is sponsored by Erie Sisters.


This year's event began with dinner and bowling night on Wednesday. 


The 2014 Gala celebrated the beginnings of the Lake Erie Gala on Thursday with a tour to Cambridge Springs, highlighting this year's theme, "A Return To Riverside". The Riverside Inn was the original site of what would become the annual Lake Erie Gala. The bus trip also included tours of Campbell Pottery and Sprague Brewery, with dinner and entertainment at the historic Riverside Inn.


Friday's events included a bus tour to Quincy Cellars and Sensory Wineries in Ripley, New York. At the conclusion of our winery visits, the bus returned to Erie for lunch at the Colony Pub and Grill, followed with time for shopping at the stores at the Colony Plaza. After dinner Friday evening, we were treated to the comedy duo, Dueling Pianos, historically a favorite among long-time Gala participants. Friday's entertainment continued through the night at Benjamin's Pub in the Avalon for a Disco dance. 


Saturday saw a fashion show put on by volunteers of the Gala, followed by time for shopping with the many vendors that set up at the Avalon for the event. Saturday evening capped the event with our annual Glitter Ball, with music by DJ Brad Kepler and lighting by Erie Sisters Secretary, Jennifer Lucas, who supplied the lighting for the event. Jennifer, herself, could not however be present, as she was being honored for the second consecutive year with providing the light show at the upcoming Thanksgiving day football game in Detroit between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. She was in Detroit, making preparations for that show. 


Sunday morning was the time for tearful goodbyes as we said farewell to dear friends over the morning brunch. 


While we had anticipated record setting attendance this year, our hopes were thwarted somewhat by the unusual weather that had hit the Buffalo area with as much as seven feet of snow. Many of our friends from the Buffalo area were unable to attend, as were a number of people intending to come down from Canada, only to find the border closed with the heavy snowfall. Despite these setbacks, the Lake Erie Gala still experienced a better than average attendance for the event, with many proclaiming it to be the best ever. Also making a big contribution was our first time event photographer, Destinee Davis, who took photos during the entire event and made them available for purchase on CDs. Destinee took the place of our long time photographer, Glenda Berkshire, who could not attend due to business commitments. All in all, the 2014 Lake Erie Gala was again a huge success, and we look forward to Gala 2015, which will take place November 4-8, next year.

Photos

Also view photos here.