Good weather produced a good turnout for the 26th annual MidSummer's Eve of the Arts fundraiser for the Vernon Public Art Gallery. Executive director Dauna Kennedy Grant says $28,000 was raised for the gallery. "That money goes specifically to cover the costs of one of our employees, so it's a very important fundraiser for us because without it, we would have to cut staff." About 100 donated art items were auctioned off Wednesday night, including an event high $1,700 for a Shawn Surface item. A surprise auction piece by Cory Fuhr introduced at the end of the night fetched $1,500. "I think the talk of the night was the quality of the art work this year. All of the artists really stepped up and put their best work forward," says Grant. 250 people attended the event which was held in Cenotaph Park, next to the proposed site for a new art gallery. "For an event like this, it's not only the purchasers that buy the art, it's all of the generous artists who make and donate their pieces, and all of the volunteers who donate hundreds of hours to make this happen." Grant also thanks their title sponsor Predator Ridge. At this point, Grant isn't sure where the event will be held next year, saying the park site used the last two years was to draw attention to the downtown core and the location for the new gallery. "We think it's really important for us to show our support for the revitalization of the downtown core by bringing events like this to the downtown." The gala was held at the Caetani heritage house in Easthill prior to 2011.
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