Columbia/Hellam/Wrightsville townlively.com
FEBRUARY 28, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
Culinary competition to benefit animal shelter
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
support we receive from our community.” H i s to r i c Wr i g h t s v i l l e i s hoping for a great turnout when the organization hosts its first Breakfast with the Easter Bunny. The event will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 243 Hellam St., Wrightsville, on Saturday, March 16, from 8 to 11 a.m. See Breakfast pg 2
People attend an event at the Historic Wrightsville Museum.
Columbia Animal Shelter veterinarian Dr. Nikki Waltemire with Darria
BBQ, Larry Williams from WebstaurantStore and Austin Hallet from John Wright Restaurant. There will be four guest judges for the event, Jalbert said. Details are still being finalized, but one of the judges will be Diane Dayton and the fourth judge’s seat will be auctioned off at the event. “This will be followed by a live auction featuring six food experiences ranging from farm experiences to private dinners with local chefs in your home,” she stated. “ There will be a
fund-a-need paddle auction where, during the bidding process, I or the veterinarian will discuss just what their dollars will be able to do for the shelter.” Local businesses will provide ingredients for the myster y box, she said, noting that the “Chopped” TV show always has a twist, typically challenging contestants to make a cohesive dish out of seemingly unrelated or unusual ingredients. “It will be challenging for the contestants but not impossible,” See Culinary pg 3
Event will support Waldorf School BY CATHY MOLITORIS
When they started planning this year’s banquet and benefit auction, the committee members at Susquehanna Waldorf School chose a name - Gather Around - that ref lects the school’s mission. “This is a message of togetherness as we gather to support Susquehanna Waldorf School and the community that relies on us,” explained Courtney Kokus, development and marketing director.
Gather Around will be held on Saturday, March 2, from 6 to 10 p.m. at John Wright Restaurant, 234 N. Front St., Wrightsville. The evening will feature a catered meal by John Wright Restaurant, live music, a wine toss, and both a silent and a live auction. “We will have a large array of art, local experiences, handmade products and custom offerings, including themed dinners and a murder mystery night,” Kokus said of the items See Waldorf pg 2
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f you enjoy cooking, competition and cats, Chopped for Charity is perfect for you. The event will benefit the Columbia Animal Shelter and will be held on Saturday, March 30, at John Wright Restaurant, 234 N. Front St., Wrightsville, beginning at 6 p.m. Like the long-running Food Network cooking show “Chopped,” the event will challenge contestants to prepare a meal in 30 minutes featuring items contained in a mystery box, said Tammy Jalbert, director of the shelter. The contestants may use other food items and ingredients available in a common pantr y, but the dishes must i nco r porate each myster y ingredient. Jalbert got the idea for the event after attending a similar competition and fundraiser for Open Table, an organization that fights hunger, while visiting family in Massachusetts. “I had the chance to sit at the table with the people putting on that event, and I thought, ‘This is something really cool and it’s not being done around here,’” she recalled. She noted that the organizers of the Open Table event, which has been happening for more than a decade, graciously offered tips on the logistics of hosting a similar fundraiser. Chopped for Charity will begin with a buffet dinner prepared by John Wright Restaurant, followed by a short program focusing on the work of Columbia Animal Shelter. The culinary competition will begin about 7:30 p.m. The chefs who will be competing are Mike Weierbach from Get Smok’d
Enjoy Breakfast with the Easter Bunny “We love our town, celebrate its roots and want you to get excited about histor y,” said Suzanne Nace-Jones, first vice president and co-chair of the fundraising committee for H i s to r i c Wr i g ht s v i l l e I nc . “We sincerely appreciate the
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
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