The 2012 Festival of Chairs to benefit the Children’s Advocacy Alliance (CAA) is scheduled for 6:30-11 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Centennial Valley Events Center. Artists are invited to donate hand-crafted chairs or other original art work to be sold at the event. CAA is an alliance between Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the 20th Judicial District and the Central Arkansas Children’s Advocacy Center.
The idea behind the benefit is for artists to take an abandoned or neglected chair and transform it into something functional, in a way that organizers hopes mimics the impact CASA advocates have on abused and neglected children.
The deadline to submit chairs to the CASA office at 707 Parkway, Suite 101, is Sept. 13 to allow time to display the chairs at local retail stores. Chairs that are somewhat functional but fun have sold well in the past. Submitted chairs will be judged by a panel of artists and friends of CASA for selection into the festival’s live and silent auctions. The jury’s decisions are based solely on aesthetic quality.
Along with the auctions, the festival will feature live entertainment from Suburban Legend, hors d’oeuvres, and an opportunity to win a 3 1/3 carat diamond ring, donated by Fletcher Smith’s Jewelers.
Tickets are $50 in advance, $60 at the door. For tickets or sponsorship information, call 328-3347. Childcare for children potty-trained to age 12 is available for $5 per hour for one child and $2 per hour for each additional child.