Westfield Athenaeum plans ‘Storybook Holiday’ wine tasting

Westfield Athenaeum’s upcoming “A Storybook Holiday” wine tasting event will transform the venue with holiday wreaths, Christmas decorations and plenty of wine and food stations to make the event worthy of its storybook reference.

“With all the decorations, live music and interesting things to see and do, it should be a great time and a wonderful party for all,” said executive director Guy A. McLain. “And since so many of us haven’t been able to get out as much lately, this will give everyone who comes a chance to get together with friends, meet new people, interact with the staff and board members of the Athenaeum and just have a good time.”

“A Storybook Holiday” will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 3 in the Great Hall at the Athenaeum, 6 Elm St.

“The word ‘storybook’ is both a reference to the delightful and fanciful quality of the holiday season and a reference to the fact that the event will take place in the library where there are many stories in the books we have available,” McLain explained.

The event will feature wine from Super Phipps Liquors, hors d’oeuvres and raffles for wreaths and centerpieces. The food will be prepared by students from the Westfield Technical Academy Culinary Department, and the band Third Millennium Trio will provide the music.

Those in attendance will learn about the Rise to Knowledge Campaign’s initiative to renovate the Grand Hall.

“The Rise to Knowledge campaign has already brought about major improvements to our building,” McLain said. “But there is more work to be done.”

“We hope to renovate the Great Hall and the Rand Art Museum, and we are in the process of completely renovating the Reed Room, which will become the new location for exhibits on Westfield history,” he added.

Of note is a new exhibit at the Athenaeum, “Untold Stories: History through Art,” that will be available for viewing during the wine tasting. It features some of the most important paintings from the Athenaeum’s collection and includes portraits, landscapes and interior scenes.

“It reflects what Westfield and regional artists have been creating for almost two centuries. In fact, some of the early paintings show us what Westfield looked like before the invention of photography,” McLain said.

Tickets for “A Storybook Holiday,” the Athenaeum’s biggest fundraiser of the year, are $50 and are available at the circulation desk in the main hall of the library and online at westath.org, using PayPal. Cash or checks will be accepted; tickets will be available up to the date of the event.

Attendees must be at least 21 years old.