If you thought the Chattanooga Area Food Bank warehouse off Amnicola Highway was merely the site of food collection for a 20-county service area, think again.
The nonprofit’s headquarters will come alive on Saturday, Jan. 19 with food, bourbon, music, dancing and auctioning for the annual HullaBowloo gala.
The event’s theme is centered around reimaging the warehouse space as an interactive urban scene complete with the landscape of outdoor eateries and bars, boutiques and street performers.
Several local stores will provide artisan pieces for a bit of after-Christmas shopping. Guests will also have the opportunity to bid in a fast-paced, spirited live auction hosted by WRCB anchor Greg Glover.
On the line are such locally minded prizes as an invitation to a cocktail party at the home of Baylor’s headmaster; a sculpture created by Cessna Decosmio; and a whole year’s work of date nights, including a two-hour picnic dinner cruise on Lake Chickamauga.
On the menu are culinary creations from a slew of local chefs who have whipped up more than simple hors d'oeuvres. Gary Klein, Johnathan Payne and Rick Wright of Baylor, Covenant College and Sewanee University, respectively, are planning a full dinner of appetizers, entrees and desserts.
Additional bite-sized delights are being supplied from Dish T’Pass Cooking and Catering, Earth Fare, Jackson’s Bakery, Link 41, MoonPie, Southern Star, Stone Cup Roasting and Whole Foods Market.
Bandana Babes and the Ben Friberg Trio are set to provide the night’s musical ambiance before the dancing hour hits the party and Rubik’s Groove takes the stage for a review of 1980s hits.
All proceeds benefit the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, which serves counties in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. The 30-year-old organization collected 8.8 million pounds of food last year.
Tickets for the HullaBowloo gala, which runs from 7 to 11 p.m., are $65 and will go quickly. Last year’s event was, in fact, a sellout.
