Friday, Feb. 17, 2012
Presented by Tom Thumb and Benefiting the Tarrant Area Food Bank serving 13 counties
FORT WORTH -- Although selling fast, tickets for Tom Thumb's presentation of Empty Bowls Fort Worth and its 10-year anniversary celebration on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012 are still available for patrons to delight their artistic fancies and tickle their taste buds at an event that attracts more than 1,500 guests.
General Admission tickets are $45 and Individual Sponsor tickets allowing early entry to the event are $125. Each dollar helps Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) provide food for three meals.
Tickets may be purchased by credit card either online at www.tafb.org/register-emptybowls.html or by calling Francie at Tarrant Area Food Bank at 817-332-9177, ext. 110. Checks for tickets may be mailed to: Empty Bowls, Tarrant Area Food Bank, 2600 Cullen St., Fort Worth, TX 76107.
WHEN & WHERE: Empty Bowls Fort Worth is open Feb. 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Individual and corporate sponsors enter at 10:30 a.m. to begin selecting their keepsake bowls.) The place is Texas Hall inside the Amon G. Carter Exhibit Hall at Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 W. Lancaster, Fort Worth, TX 76107.
NEW FEATURES at Empty Bowls 2012:
CELEBRITY BOWLS: Bowls and platters each signed by one of 13 celebrities will be offered in a live auction at Empty Bowls. The celebrities include, among others, musicians/singers LeAnn Rimes, Lyle Lovett and Betty Lynn Buckley, film and television actors Barry Corbin and Janine Turner and sports figures including NASCAR legend Richard Petty, baseball great Nolan Ryan and TCU football coach Gary Patterson. Radio personalities Hal Jay, Terry Dorsey and Hawkeye will auction their celebrity bowls during broadcasts on their respective stations.
The attendance of HONORARY CHAIRPERSON BARRY CORBIN, veteran actor in films such as "Urban Cowboy" and "No Country for Old Men" and television series such as "Northern Exposure," "The Closer" and "One Tree Hill;”
A COMMEMORATIVE EMPTY BOWLS GLASS ARTWORK by David Gappa of Vetro Glassworks in Grapevine;
CELEBRITY CHEF LOOK-A-LIKE Photo Booth: Guests can have complementary photos taken with a live look-a-like of Chef Julia Child.
MORE SPACE to mingle while waiting to enter event and more elbow-room inside the event.
RETURNING ACTIVITIES for guests at EMPTY BOWLS FORT WORTH include:
SELECT, AS A KEEPSAKE, A BOWL (pottery, wood, china or glass) handcrafted or painted by a professional, student or recreational artisan from various counties around Fort Worth. Bowls are being donated by members of the Texas Pottery and Sculpture Guild, The Woodturners of North Texas, Fort Worth Porcelain Art Club, Texas Glass Artists Association and LMRA Potters Studio as well as by art classes at Nolan High School, Tarrant County College and other organizations.
SAMPLE SOUPS by some of the Fort Worth area’s top chefs at 30 restaurants, caterers and culinary schools. Examples include Pork Hatch Chili by Tim Love of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Cream of Jalapeño Soup by Jerrett Joslin of Wild Mushroom (in Weatherford), Vodka Gazpacho with Smoked Shrimp by Jon Bonnell of Bonnell's Fine Texas Cuisine, Tenderloin Chile from Bob's Steak & Chop House, Kabacha Pumpkin Soup from Shinjuku Station and many others.
TASTE DESSERTS including—new this year—a piece of the 3-foot high 10-Year Anniversary Cake created by Bluebonnet Bakery, as well as the pies, cookies and cakes from returning favorites Paris Cafe, Nothing Bundt Cakes and others.
AT THE BUMP TABLE, exchange one's bowl for possibly a larger one and donate an additional $25, which is worth 75 meals for families in need;
IN THE GALLERY, select one of a limited number of special bowls (50+) created by master artisans for $100, a donation worth 300 meals;
ENTER RAFFLES for:
A 10-year Empty Bowls commemorative glass artwork by David Gappa
A colorful handmade collector’s quilt from Country Stitches Quilt Shop in Burleson;
BID IN A SILENT AUCTION on unique pottery and art by professional artisans, including a sofa table with a three-dimensional mosaic top. Among other items for bid are framed prints from the Sid Richardson Museum’s Western art collection, a NFL football autographed by a player from each NFL team, a year of bread from a boutique bakery, gift cards for high-end dining or a night in an upscale hotel, NASCAR tickets and more.
Watch demonstrations by a wheel potter, wood-turner, and new this year—china painters and glass artists.
Enjoy live music by Candelo Guitar (Kendall Jones and accompanists)
ABOUT TARRANT AREA FOOD BANK
Serving 13 COUNTIES on the west side of the Fort Worth/Dallas region, Tarrant Area Food Bank is a primary source of donated food for 300+ major hunger-relief programs including pantries, soup kitchens, Kids Cafes, BackPacks for Kids, senior centers, emergency shelters and other social services centers. From 2008 through 2011, the number of meals provided by TAFB increased nearly 80 percent from 11 million to 20 million meals.
A $1 donation can help TAFB provide food for three meals.
For more information on Tarrant Area Food Bank, visit www.tafb.org and find us on Facebook as TAFoodBank or follow us on Twitter at TAFoodBank.