ThisWeek CW 11/20/2014
http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/canalwinchester/news/2014/11/17/holiday-formal-celebrates-community-friends.html
A formal dance to benefit veterans is returning to Canal Winchester this holiday season.
The second annual Holiday Formal will raise funds to provide material and supplies used by Quilters on the Canal to make quilts for local veterans. Quilts will be auctioned at the event and a portion of the ticket price also will be donated to the organization.
The Holiday Formal will take place from 6 p.m. to midnight, Sunday, Dec. 7, at Village Wines, 10 S. High St. A registry list for tickets, limited to about 80 attendees, is available at the restaurant.
The evening will begin with a cocktail reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m., after which dinner will be served. The quilts will be auctioned prior to opening the dance floor for the rest of the evening.
“It’s a black-tie event with women in beautiful formal gowns, where all different types of people from the community will get together for a cocktail hour and dinner and dancing,” organizer Kelly Abbott said.
Organizer Marshell Crabtree said a ticket price hadn’t been set yet, but would probably be around $55.
Crabtree came up with the idea for the event, which is modeled after U.S Navy formals that she and her husband, John Crabtree, have attended for years.
“After last year’s event, there was a real buzz about it, of people wanting Marshell to continue it so they could come; so we hope this can grow and maybe eventually outgrow the space at Village Wines,” Abbott said.
“Being in the military, around the holidays there’s always formal parties to attend, and when we moved here, I thought, what a beautiful town, it would be so nice to see people really dressed up and enjoying it,” Crabtree said. “Every year, we go to a ball in Florida … and I wanted to bring that sort of experience right here.”
The Crabtrees moved to Canal Winchester seven years ago after they both retired from the Navy. John, a Canal Winchester native, was blinded in the line of duty while serving in Iraq in 2006 so the couple moved here to be closer to family.
According to Marshell Crabtree, the Navy events, and now the local Holiday Formal, are meant to celebrate community, family and friends.
“I thought this would be a nice thing and a good time to see friends and family on a small and personable scale,” she said.