Last week, Plant Citians gathered in the heart of downtown to enjoy a night of “international fine wine” in support of Plant City Main Street.
For two hours, guests strolled from home to home on Collins Street and sampled heavy hors d’oeuvres as well as wine from France, California and Italy.
While the concept of a home tour isn’t new for area organizations, it was the first time Main Street threw its hat into the ring. Choosing an elegant approach, Main Street tilted the night on the town as “Grand Cru on Collins” and tickets went for $125 a person.
“I think the event went very well,” Jerilyn Rumbarger, executive director of Main Street, said. “This was our second fundraiser of the year, the first of this fiscal year. The idea of Grand Cru was to deliver an international wine experience to Plant City. We wanted something a little different, but that can still successfully bring us some money. So each house hosted a different wine region. There was a California, a Spain and Italy region and a France region and they paired with heavy hors d’oeuvres to compliment the wine being served. We used a permit to close down that stretch of Collins Street so people could walk from house to house. There was a silent auction as well.”
Despite the drizzling weather, the event was a success and Rumbarger said there was fun in every home as she spent the night popping around and mingling with attendees. Rumbarger had started her role as executive director two days before the event but spent three full days working around the clock, along with the men and women of Main Street that had been the masterminds behind the event, to ensure the night was a success for all involved.
Attendees were not only able to enjoy mouthwatering foods — including a variety of succulent meats and cheeses as well as more hands on offerings like tacos — but also had the opportunity to spend time in some of the impressive homes in the Historic District just a handful of blocks from the downtown core. Some of the stops included the Halloran/Haines home, the Moody home and the Sparkman House Luxury Bed and Breakfast.
Proceeds from the event will go toward furthering Main Street’s work. As a 501(c)3, the nonprofit relies on donations and fundraising events to keep its work revitalizing downtown going strong. The Florida Strawberry Festival, WorkComp Partners, Judge James S. Moody Jr. and Hillsborough Title were the connoisseur-level sponsors for the event.
“It was a very well put together event that was also a lot of fun,” Rumbarger said. “We’re for sure going to do it again. We will plan to keep Top Golf and Grand Cru on Collins as two of our major fundraisers for the year.”
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