An annual benefit event showcasing food, wine and spirits also will offer a celebration of Hollywood.
Edesia is scheduled for April 5 at the Wine Country Inn, 777 Grande River Drive in Palisade. A VIP luncheon is set for 11 a.m., followed by the main event from 2 to 5 p.m. featuring food, libations and live music.
A screening of “Long Live the King,” a documentary about the movie “King Kong,” is set for 2:30 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion featuring the filmmakers.
Tickets to the VIP luncheon sell for $125. Tickets to the main event sell for $50 and also includes the screening. For tickets or more information, call the Wine Country at 464-5777 or visit the website at www.EdesiaPalisade.com.
The Wine Country Inn hosts Edesia as a fund-raiser for the Marillac Clinic, which provides a range of health care services to uninsured and under-insured Mesa County residents. Since its inception a decade ago, Edesia has raised $212,000 — $38,000 in 2019.
FCI Constructors as well as Alpine Bank, Peach Street Distillers and St. Mary’s Medical Center will present Edesia.
Named for the Roman goddess of wine and food, Edesia showcases wine, spirits and gourmet food from local wineries, breweries and distilleries as well as restaurants.
With a theme of “Hooray for Hollywood,” the event also will celebrate Tinseltown, said Ian Kelley, general manager of the Wine Country Inn. “We’re putting tongue in cheek to pay homage to movies that entertain us through good times and bad.”
The VIP luncheon will feature dishes from such celebrity bistros as the Formosa Café, Perino’s and Brown Derby. Wayne Smith, a professor of culinary arts at Western Colorado Community College in Grand Junction, and Michael Deremer, executive chef at the Wine Country Inn, will re-imagine dishes that were favorites of the stars.
The panel discussion following the screening of “Long Live the King” will feature documentary filmmakers Frank Dietz and Tricia Geiger as well as Victoria Riskin, daughter of “King Kong” star Fay Wray; and Alexis Iacono, the actress who played Wray in a Broadway production.
Original celebrity caricatures signed by Arn McConnell will be available at a silent auction, as will crafts, vacations and wines.
Kelly encouraged people to purchase tickets early because they’re sold on a first-come, first-served basis. “Come on out for the fun. Who knows? You may even get a selfie with a Hollywood star.”