WINONA LAKE - Sailboat sculptures will be unveiled Oct. 5 in Winona Lake to raise funds for the Symphony of the Lakes.
The sailboats will be on display along the pond on Park Avenue in Winona Lake by the Boathouse Restaurant. They will be on display for one week after an unveiling ceremony in the Village at Winona.
A sponsors appreciation reception will be Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. at the pavilion in the Artisan Court at the Village at Winona. Hors d'oeuvres will be provided by Cerulean Restaurant and Eagle Creek Farms. Members of the Symphony of the Lakes will perform during the reception.
The unveiling ceremony will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Village at Winona. Louis Dreyfus will host the Symphony of the Lakes sailboat patron party.
The reception will give sponsors and guests an opportunity to meet the artists who painted their sailboat.
A substantial portion of the costs of producing the sailboats was underwritten by Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller. Other sponsors include Warsaw and Winona Lake business owners.
After the week's period, the sailboats will go to sponsors to be displayed in their lobby, used as part of their landscaping, or will be donated to the Greenway.
The 15 sailboats are 4 feet long and 2 feet high.
There are 13 Winona Lake artists who will paint the 5-foot sails on the sailboats.
Chairwoman Rebecca Kubacki, and co-chairwomen Norma Ferguson and Cathy Teghtmeyer, came up with the idea for the sailboats to raise funds for the Symphony of the Lakes.
"The sailboats will be a fitting reminder of the importance of our lakes as wonderful resources in our region," Kubacki said.
Kubacki said the sailboats demonstrate the significance of the Symphony of the Lakes as a musical resource for all people in the community to enjoy.
The sailboats will be given a wood grain finish and be painted by Nex Gen Finishes, Warsaw. A 5-foot sail will be mounted on each sailboat to complete the sculpture. The sailboat sculptures will rest on a 3-foot pedestal with a plaque listing the sponsors.
Each sailboat sponsor will have an original piece of artwork painted on the sail and the company logo or individual's name on the second sail.
"Having all the sailboats on display surrounding the pond on Winona Lake provides a beautiful and tranquil backdrop as well as walkways for ease of viewing," Teghtmeyer said.
Almost all of the proceeds received from the sailboat sponsorships will go to the Symphony of the Lakes for the five concerts scheduled for the 2007-2008 concert season.
The concerts are free to the public.
Patrick Kavanaugh, artistic director for the Symphony of the Lakes, said he is pleased to be a part of the event.
"I thank the board members and the sailboat sponsors for bringing such a unique event to the community," Kavanaugh said.
Symphony of the Lakes will open its 2007-2008 season with a five-concert season titled "Meet the Instruments."
Among the remaining concerts is "Around the World In Music," which will transport the audience to four corners of the globe in a musical adventure.
The symphony will perform Handel's "Messiah," "Music For All Times" and "Mozart's Requiem."
