22nd Ball proves to be most successful ever

The 2003 Holiday Ball thrilled the more than 200 guests who joined the queen’s court for an Elizabethan Holiday. The Ball was held Dec. 6 at the Country Club of Jackson and was the most financially successful event since the ball was begun in 1982. Preliminary estimates show that approximately $60,000 was raised this year.

Guests entered the court through an aisle of gold-lighted evergreen trees and were welcomed by area high school students dressed in medieval attire. Guests were then greeted by Pat Beffel Jr., Ball Chairman, who was dressed for the occasion in a formal black gown with Queen Elizabeth-style collar, and her husband (immediate past Ball chair), Al Meusel, along with Guild President, Sue Rochester, and her husband, Tom.

In keeping with the Elizabethan theme, the club was decorated in beautiful greenery. Large wreaths encircled the large chandeliers and table centerpieces featured tall branches in antiqued urns. The glow of candles placed on each table added to the ambiance of the period. Beffel said she was extremely pleased with the re-creation of the Queen’s court.

“Under Queen Elizabeth’s rule, holiday time at court was a time lavish with entertainment, food and drink. Musicians were welcome and played continually,” she said. “The halls were richly decorated and it is from Elizabethan times that our tradition of greenery comes. This year’s committees certainly recreated the same feeling.”

The entertainment would have pleased any royal court. As guests enjoyed appetizers and drinks, Trillium, a recorder group from Ann Arbor, entertained and helped to set the musical atmosphere. Pianist Jimmy Carl played favorite pieces until dinner when members of the Jackson Ballet Company and Academy of Dance delighted the audience with their performances. Later, the audience listened and danced to music by the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Stephen Osmond. The tempo picked up a bit after dinner with music by The Arrangement.

The night’s menu also reflected a holiday feast fit for a queen. For dinner, a 16th century menu included a Salat of watercress, apples and toasted walnuts with a honey-mustard vinaigrette dressing. The main meal featured Sturgeon Pomegranate (Pacific Northwest sturgeon poached in lemon fume with a honey-pomegranate sauce), Marshberry Glazed Roast Filet of Beef (aged beef with merlot-glace de viande reduction, marinated with blackberries, elderberries and raspberries), Vegetable Bouquetiere (petite squash and green beans sauteed with onion, white wine and garlic) as well as Pasternakes (cinnamon and nutmeg herbed parsnips and carrots). For dessert, Branbury Chocolate Turret Cake (chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache of cherry and white chocolate) was served in a moat of caramel sauce. Breaking away from the evening’s Elizabethan theme, a full set of silverware was supplied to each guest.

Since helping to raise funds for the Orchestra is the primary purpose of the Holiday Ball, guests and other supporters purchased tickets to the Holiday Ball Raffle. The lucky winners were: Fred Pesetsky (DuPuis et Fil’s Garnet and Diamond Pendant), Erin DuBois (Bisbee Travel’s airline gift certificate), Lesia Pikaart (Medawar Jeweler’s gift certificate), Earl Scott (Johnstone Supply’s DeWalt hammer drill/driver kit) and Joan Kaywood (MIS’s Executive Suite passes). 

The Ball featured the most exciting and extensive silent auction ever. Guests bid on more than 70 items including weekend and vacation getaways to Vail, Colo., Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as well as Michigan destinations. Lessons were available for golfing, sailing, horseback riding, driving school, and scuba diving. Tickets to the Chicago, Detroit and Jackson Symphony Orchestras, sporting events, musical events and shows were popular items as well as gourmet dining and entertaining opportunities. Artwork by local artists, all regionally or nationally known, prompted competitive bidding. Items for the home and garden as well as many other fun and exciting items made it the most profitable Holiday Ball auction ever.

Beffel speaks for all Guild members when she says, “It would not have been possible for this year’s Ball to be as special and as successful as it was without all the  people who contributed. This is what helps to keep orchestral music alive in Jackson.”