Holden benefit raises money for education

The nearly 500 people who came to Holden Arboretum’s annual summer benefit enjoyed a perfect summer evening as they browsed among silent auction items, sipping, munching and  reconnecting.
More than $113,000 was raised to support Holden’s educational program, which are aimed at helping the next generation appreciate trees and green spaces while fostering kids’ physical and emotional health.
Called Gnomes at Woodland Twilight, the Saturday event honored three nursery families, all of whom have been instrumental in supporting the arboretum and greening the region. Honored were Tim and Sonia Brotzman; Bill and Nancy Hendricks and Gertrude, Karl, Karen and the late Ed Losely. In its name, the event paid tribute to the 20 five-foot tall garden gnomes painted by local artists and tucked into the various landscapes of the 3,600-acre Holden Arboretum.
The dinner, catered by Sammy’s, was  served at tables napped in yellow and green beneath a festive open sided white tent.
Silent auction items included an autographed Bob Feller baseball, a day’s trout fishing at a private club, tickets to the Browns vs. Ravens game in December, and lots of beautiful plants and landscaping services. Those attending browsed among them as servers  offered glasses of wine and appetizers.
Following dinner beneath the tent, auctioneer Bob Hale got work on the live auction. A dinner party for 20 donated by Willoughby caterer Culinare Pavane at Lantern Court was won with a $2,800 bid; a cocktail party in a custom built tree house donated by Bill and Kathy O’Neill went for $1,700 and four collectable wines earned $3,100 for the cause. Other live auction items included an escape to a five-bedroom vacation home in Cape Hatteras, a framed painting, custom portrait and two of the gnomes.