PTO Fall Fête promises an evening of fun and glamour
When the red carpet rolls out and the bright lights of the paparazzi flash Saturday, November 10, it won’t be the Kodak Theatre in L.A. but the Marriott Springhill Suites in Devens, where anyone in Harvard can feel like an A-list celebrity. “Hollywood Nights” is the theme of this year’s PTO Fall Fête fundraiser, and event organizers Andra Evans, Judy Pon, and Carolyn Grant promise an evening of all things glamorous, including a full-course buffet dinner, silent auction, and dancing to the retro tunes of Boston band “Booty Vortex.” Back by popular demand, the band played to an enthusiastic crowd at last year’s Fall Fête, too.
“You could hardly get a space on the dance floor,” Evans said. “It was really fun.”
The largest single fundraiser sponsored by the PTO, the Fall Fête is traditionally an evening of high spirits and a chance to contribute to the schools while having grown-up fun, according to Grant and Evans. Both are excited about the “Hollywood Nights” theme, and bringing the glamour of Tinseltown to Devens for a spectacular evening.
“It will have the elegance of a ballrooom event,” Evans said, adding that the committee has a few star-studded surprises in store as well. The Fall Fête is open to all members of the community, Grant pointed out, not just parents and members of the PTO. All of the proceeds raised from the event—last year’s gross came to just over $38,000—go back to the schools in the form of equipment, enrichment programs, speakers, and textbooks, she noted. The Fête has become such a popular event, she added, that it is now the leading fundraiser for the PTO. And while many attendees find the evening a chance to go all out in evening dress or costume, she assured those who feel more like K-Fed than Brad that the party is “Come as you are. Just come!”
One of the most popular features of the Fête is the silent auction, according to Evans, and last year’s hot ticket was the “Manicures and Margheritas” evening of pampered fun. Two other items that always generate a host of interested bidders, she said, are a child’s birthday party at the police station, hosted by the Harvard Police Department, as well as a ride on the fire truck to Kimball Farms for ice cream.
Both Grant and Evans think this year’s party will be at least as much fun as last year’s, which both describe as a high-spirited good time. “The Fall Fête is a real grown-up event where you can go and have fun with your girlfriends or your partner,” Evans said.
Tickets to “Hollywood Nights” are $60 per person. A discount group rate of six people for $300 is also available. In addition, raffle tickets for the 60/40 cash raffle (the PTO keeps 60 percent of the total take, and the winner goes home with 40) are $10 each, and there will be a ballroom “Walk of Fame,” with stars listing the names of those who donate $20 per star. A package deal of two Fête tickets, three raffle tickets, and two stars is available for $165. To make reservations, mail a check made payable to the Harvard PTO to: Fall Fête, P.O. Box 488, Harvard, Massachusetts 01451. To donate an item for the silent auction or volunteer to help at the event, call Andra Evans at 978-897-7063 or Judy Pon at 978-456-3335. For more information, visit www.harvardpto.org.