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By Jane Simpson

President, CEO,

Davie Community Foundation

It was a magical night in Hawaii.

The Davie Community Foundation Sounds of Summer in Hawaii at WinMock did not disappoint. The weather was perfect with a light breeze blowing at Waikiki Beach.

The music was great, the food was great, the energy was high, and the air was electric. It was good to be together again as a community.

The decorations transformed WinMock into Hawaii location highlights. The tropical Bird of Paradise with Monstera leaves were lovely at Waikiki Beach. There were lots of palm plants, yuccas, palm trees, and of course, surf boards.

The Pearl Harbor Officers’ Club featured red, white, and blue with American flags along with flags from each branch of the military. Each “restaurant” had a unique look, but all were reminiscent of Hawaii with pineapples, tiki lights, and large bright flowers.

The food by Uptown Hospitality and desserts by Maddie Cakes received rave reviews and there was plenty.

“My nightmare before the event is that I run out of food,” said Pam Welker of Uptown. “I do everything I can to be sure there is plenty for the large crowd.” The Hawaiian style menu provided tastes of the Big Island with a North Carolina twist and was presented beautifully. The desserts by Maddie Cakes were small bites of sunshine and simply delicious.

Guests enjoyed singing along with Greg and Clarence of Dueling Pianos at the Pearl Harbor Officers’ Club and others danced at Waikiki Beach with The Main Event Band.

The shoppers in the crowd enjoyed battling for silent auction items with the mobile bidding. The rum tastings sold out and those guests with tickets learned about varieties of Rum from Rosalie.

For the gamblers, all 100 raffle tickets sold out, too.

The generosity showed during the kive auction as bidders spared no expense in vying for bourbons, trips, and the last Duke basketball autographed by Coach K. The six items brought bids for more than $14,000 with the highest bids placed for the Weller Bourbon.

From an organizational standpoint, it was a perfect night. The weather could not have been more lovely, everything worked, the board was so supportive, and guests had a great time. I think that is the perfect way to end Sounds of Summer.

We will now get back to the core work of the foundation, inspiring philanthropy to strengthen Davie County for present and future generations.

To learn more about the foundation, contact Simpson at (336) 753-6903 or jsimpson@daviefoundation.org or visit www.daviefoundation.org.