Gone With The Passing Of The Wind

Tonight we attended a fabulous fund raiser for the Penguin Project, which gives handicapped children a chance to act in a play.

The 200-person event was hosted in a ballroom of the new Mariott hotel in uptown Normal, just a stone's throw away from the hotel's restaurant that we dined in last week. The food was just as delicious as before, even more so in fact. Juicy steak chops, chicken breasts and potatoes, finished off by a slice of cake so rich that I may be giving Dena chocolate kisses for a week.

This was a murder mystery dinner theater featuring two professional actors and a couple of costume changes. Various guests had also been handed scripts with modest speaking parts and, in the case of the person playing the pregnant woman, a few props. The plot itself was adequate, and the mystery somewhat less than riveting, but the actors were fun and much appreciated for traveling such a long way.

Dinner was served during the intermission, and 50/50 tickets were sold up to a $591 pot. It was also a good time to peruse the twenty or so silent auction items, including a 12-seater suite for the men's NCAA basketball championship game. But we passed the time bonding with our good friends Rosann Diedrich, Julie Marcy, and Chad and Miranda Kemp.

I'm sure that the event raised plenty of money for the fortunate children. And I'm especially happy for Dena, whose graphic design skills were put to maximum use in designing the program and coordinating various other niceties. What a terrific use of life, and exciting way to kick off the weekend!