Sold-out crowd attends annual Matlacha Civic Association Gala
According to Matlacha Civic Association President Carol Scott, this year’s annual gala, which was held at Leoma Lovegrove’s studio Sunday March 30, was sold out as of Saturday, as far as tickets both online and physically, she said.
Scott approximated the total at more than 140 people present at the event. In addition to the usual fundraising efforts for the MCA, there was also a celebration of Matlacha now being 99 years old.
“In my welcoming speech to our guests, I reminded them that they were in a very special place, which was, of course, Leoma’s Gardens. We held a beautiful gala in a magical place,” Scott said.
The annual MCA gala, which is the only fundraiser for the year, funds many things throughout the year, she explained.
“The American flags up — one for each state up and down our little commerce area. It funds the Fourth of July picnic. It funds events like in May — we’re having butterflies and a band, where the artists all painted butterflies for our transformation into something new and beautiful. It funds the Christmas trees and our little Christmas village. This fundraiser meant a lot but it also meant we were celebrating 99 years in Matlacha,” Scott said.
There was also an auction, she said, where wooden fish were given to a number of the island artists. Scott told them to paint them on both sides and bring them back. The fish were then hung with crystals and turned into sun-catchers, she explained.
“They were beautifully painted and studded with little diamond or iridescent stones and glitter and some of them print-sketched the iconic bridge–there were dolphins and sunsets, sunrises. There were paintings of Matlacha Pass, They were breathtaking and we called it Fish Wish–I wish I’d bought that fish,” Scott said.
Scott also said they did not anticipate raising the money that they did this year, much of it due to the auctioned hand-painted fish. The room, she said, had much love and laughter with folks outbidding one another and having an amazing time.
There was also a program they call, Bubbles and Bling, that was done last year and brought back this year, she said. Participants purchase a glass of champagne and are given a number in return. At the end of the night, the winning number is drawn.
The MCA’s annual gala, is usually held in March, she said.
“We had a live auction, a silent auction, combined with bubbles and bling and I wish I’d bought that fish. It was an awesome moment–it really was. The band was great. Everybody danced. We have a very generous island,” Scott said.