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Harvesting funds

Cassie Pence
Photo illustration Dawn BeaconMuffy, left, a 10-year-old shepherd mix is up for adoption at the Eagle Valley Humane Society. She is obedient, well-mannered and good with older kids. Lindey, four months old, will be up for adoption soon.
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EAGLE-VAIL The fate of Gulf Coast pets is very much on the minds of local animal lovers.

Char Quinn of the Eagle Valley Humane Society said she has been fielding dozens of phone calls daily from people concerned about the pets in New Orleans. In response, the Eagle Valley Humane Society and Beaver Liquors will donate some of the proceeds from their sixth annual Harvest Party to help rescue Gulf Coast animals.There are thousands and thousands of homeless animals there, and they are rescuing more each day, Quinn said. We are looking into the best option of where we can help. If we can get some of the animals out here, wed adopt them in no time.The Harvest Party is a food and wine gala Saturday at the Eagle-Vail Pavilion to benefit the humane society. Local restaurants prepare a dish or two, and Beaver Liquors owner David Courtney spends weeks pairing wines to complement the flavors. The dinner is a grazing concept. Party-goers stroll from table to table nibbling on different tastes, and no one leaves hungry. One of the highlights last year was Gourmet Cowboys chocolate fountain. Guests dipped fruits and breads under cascading Belgian chocolate to satisfy their sweet tooth.Every year we get the restaurants to prepare a different menu, and we pick different wines, Courtney said.Courtney said the highlights this year are Mountain Flours tiny desserts and Toscaninis lobster and Yukon potato lasagna. The bakery is also creating an edible dog-house cake made from chocolate gingerbread.Weve paired the lasagna with Italian wine Zenato, Lugana, which is the name of the grape, Courtney said. Its big, rich and fat like chardonnay, but a little bit crisper, so perfect for the lobster.In between tastings, guests feeling a little Lucy can kick off their shoes, climb into a vat and stomp grapes. Handsome men are on hand to wash feet and legs. The squished fruit will be made into wine the next day at 4 Eagle Ranch. Each year, guests sample the wine they stomped the year before. Boulder-based Willis, with local saxophone player Dave Laub, will play jazz for the evening, and the wine ring toss returns. It was a favorite game among revelers last year, and it earned a lot of money for the animals of the humane society, Quinn said.Its a carnival game for adults, Courtney said. Instead of a goofy stuffed animal, they get to walk away with a bottle of wine instead.Proceeds from the $40 tickets, wine toss and silent auctions go toward the humane society and its efforts to help the animals on the Gulf Coast. The Harvest Party helps to off set the humane societys costs for its spay and neuter and its foster-care programs. For more information on the Harvest Party or to purchase tickets, call Beaver Liquors at 949-5040. To learn more about the Eagle Valley Humane Society, log on to http://www.adoptafriend.org.Arts and Entertainment Editor Cassie Pence can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 618, or cpence@vaildaily.com.Vail, Colorado


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