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Date: 11/30/2023
WESTFIELD — The annual Holiday Wine Tasting Fundraiser will take place 6-8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, in the Great Hall of the Westfield Athenaeum.
Organized by the all-volunteer Board of Trustees of the Athenaeum, this year’s event will feature a variety of wines provided by Super Phipps Liquors, hors d’oeuvres by the Westfield Technical Academy’s culinary arts program, live music by Pete Grimaldi’s Third Millennium Trio and raffles of freshly made live Christmas wreaths.
Executive Director Guy McLain said, “It’s a chance to have a nice holiday party and at the same time support the Athenaeum.” He continued, “Each year we have more people coming. We have well over 100 people who attend this event. There’s live music, various activities and there’s a chance for people to socialize which is really great.”
The Westfield Athenaeum is a private, nonprofit organization. All proceeds from this event goes toward the Rise to Knowledge Building Campaign, the Athenaeum’s renovation project that it started five years ago. The project is currently in its third phase, which is the Great Hall, the main room of the Adult Library, and includes electrical work, painting and restoration.
Jayne Mulligan who’s on the Board of Trustees for the Athenaeum, said, “Right now, we’re looking at about a million and a half [dollars needed] and we get quite a few grants through a lot of the different charitable foundations in the area. We rely on local businesses and private residents for support because we are a nonprofit organization.”
This will be the first major overhaul for the Great Hall, though there have been minor renovations over the years. Previous phases of the renovations saw improvements to the Boys and Girls Library and reference and history museum areas. The project has also brought in a new fire prevention system, a new security alarm system, security cameras throughout the building and new heating systems in some of the rooms.
“It’s a great event for a great cause,” Mulligan stated. “It’s local. We get people from all over the community, from local patrons of the library to friends and families. It’s a good way to kick off the holiday season. It’s a fun night.”
Tickets are $50 each and are available online at westath.org or the main circulation desk of the Athenaeum, 6 Elm St., Westfield.