8/1/13

UPCOMING FUNDRAISER: 7th Annual Belle Isle Conservatory Benefit on Thursday, September 5th 2013

7th ANNUAL BELLE ISLE CONSERVATORY BENEFIT TO BE HELD THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th 2013
All Proceeds to Benefit the Restoration of the Levi L. Barbour Memorial Fountain and the Children's Temperance Fountain
 
The 7th annual Belle Isle Conservatory Benefit will be held on Thursday, September 5 from 5:30– 7:30 p.m. on the grounds of the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Belle Isle.
 
Proceeds from the event will help the Belle Isle Conservancy restore the Levi L. Barbour Memorial Fountain, which was designed by Marshall Fredericks and dedicated in 1937, and the Children's Temperance Fountain, which was dedicated in 1910.  Both historic bronze fountains are located on the grounds of the Conservatory.
 
Party guests will enjoy live music, hors d'oeuvres and complimentary cocktails, with a focus on Michigan brews and spirits, A special tasting garden will serve samples from local craft breweries Jolly Pumpkin and North Peak as well as signature craft cocktails courtesy of Civilized Spirits.  An art exhibit will feature works from Detroit area artists for sale, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the restoration of the fountains.  The Conservatory and its grounds will be open for guests to enjoy and tour, including one acre of tropical trees, ferns, cacti, blooming plants and orchids, and stroll its surrounding perennial and lily pond gardens.
 
"In only its seventh year, the Belle Isle Conservatory Benefit has become a favorite party for many and a successful fundraiser for one of Detroit's most beloved landmarks," said benefit co-chair Carol Gove of the City of Grosse Pointe.  "Over the years, we have been able to raise significant funds that have allowed us to restore many wonderful features at the Conservatory and this year is no different. The restoration of these two beautiful bronze sculptures will bring joy to visitors for years to come."
 
Tickets are $50 and can be purchased by sending a check payable to the Belle Isle Conservancy, 8109 E. Jefferson, Detroit, MI  48214. 
The Belle Isle Conservatory Benefit co-chairs are Carol Gove of the City of Grosse Pointe, Sarah Ollison of Grosse Pointe Park and Janice Ellison of Detroit. 
 
About The Levi L. Barbour Memorial Fountain
In 1936, Marshall Fredericks won a national competition to design this statue in honor or Levi L. Barbour, a prominent lawyer and philanthropist who was instrumental in negotiating the purchase of Belle Isle by the City of Detroit from the Campau family in 1879.  The statue, which was completed in 1937, features a wheeling gazelle and is said to have been the first significant sculpture in Fredericks' storied artistic career. 
 
About the Children's Temperance Fountain
Sponsored by the Loyal Temperance Legion and funded by the children of Detroit, who collected pennies in their plea for temperance, the bronze sculpture by an unnamed French artist features a little girl extending a cup in her hand.  It was dedicated in 1910 and was restored and moved inside the Conservatory in the 1960s.
 
About the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory
The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory was opened in 1904 and was designed by Albert Kahn, modeled after Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. The Conservatory is divided into 5 distinct sections: The Palm House, Tropical House, Showroom, Cactus House and the Fernery. Mrs. Anna Scripps Whitcomb bequeathed her 600-plant orchid collection to the City of Detroit and the Conservatory. In 1955 the Conservatory was dedicated to her.
 
About the Belle Isle Conservancy
Formed in the fall of 2011, through a merger of four existing nonprofits - Friends of Belle Isle, Belle Isle Botanical Society, Belle Isle Women's Committee and Friends of the Belle Isle Aquarium — the new Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Detroit, will bring more private and public resources to Detroit's beautiful island park.