I wrapped up the month of July as a +1 (Plus One) invitee at the Louisiana Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's 5th Annual Grapes & Grain Fine Wine and Craft Beer Tasting on Friday, July 31st at the Castine Center located in Mandeville's Pelican Park. The spirited soiree featured fine wines from around the world, craft beers with an emphasis on local breweries, tasty tidbits from some of the Northshore's top eateries, a silent auction and live entertainment.
Getting to the event was lots of fun, thanks to the GPS-like on-board navigational program we used to guide us to our location, avoid traffic congestion and speed traps. In our haste, we made our final turn a block too soon when we turned onto Pelican Boulevard instead of Pelican Drive. The navigational program then stated thru the vehicle's speakers that we had arrived at our destination. Surprisingly, when we looked outside, we were at the closed Mandeville State Mental Institution and we were left hoping that the navigational program merely had a great sense of humor.
Once we recalibrated our guidance system we were able to finally arrived at our intended destination. The Castine Center provided a marvelous setting with ample parking, a spacious auditorium, quality acoustics to enjoy the live band performance and yet engage in pleasant conversation. This fundraising event was well attended and well organized. The food choices were plentiful and tasty, but best of all was the abundant selection of wines and beers, which enabled me to discover a new favorite wine and a really good local beer brewed in Covington, Louisiana. The main focus of the evening was to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the silent auction included hundreds of items such as airline tickets, artworks, hotel accommodations, an original designer cruiser single speed bicycle, a Wounded Warrior Memorial 120 quart Yeti Cooler and hundreds of other offerings. Unfortunately, I bid on several items hoping to get something at a bargain rate, but the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was the big winner because most of the donated auction items sold for more than their actual market value. read more