By Marilyn Tinnin
2016 WellsFest and WellsFest Art Night Benefit the Center for Violence Prevention
The 33rd WellsFest takes place September 24 at Jamie Fowler Boyll Park, next to Smith-Wills Stadium on Lakeland Drive. All proceeds will go to the Center for Violence Prevention. The center provides emergency shelter and ongoing support services for women and children forced to leave their homes due to domestic violence, assault, or human trafficking.
WellsFest Art Night will be held at Duling Hall in Fondren on Tuesday, September 20. This event is free and includes refreshments by local restaurants Babalu and Table 100 and features live music. The preview party begins at 5:30 p.m., and the live art auction at 7 p.m. A special feature is Mississippi watercolorist Wyatt Waters painting a still life on site that will be sold at the end of the auction. A “buy-now” section also will be available beginning at 5:30 p.m.
A new event to help support the WellsFest beneficiary is the WellsFest Golf Tournament. This is a 4-person scramble with a 1 p.m. shotgun start at Live Oak Golf Club (11200 Highway 49 North, Jackson, MS 39209) on Thursday, September 15. There is a $400 registration fee per team, with prizes awarded for first, second, and third place, longest drive, and closest to pin.
For more information or to register, contact John Brashier at johnbrashier@wellschurch.org or 601.353.0658. Registration deadline is September 12, 2016.
“We have come to perceive WellsFest as a gift of love to the Jackson community and to those charitable non-profit organizations who benefit as recipients of its proceeds,” said Keith Tonkel, Wells Memorial United Methodist Church pastor since 1969. “It is a day for families to get together and have a nice day for not a lot of cost.”
From its modest beginning in the mid 1980s, WellsFest has grown to become a significant community-wide event, with all proceeds going each year to a different non-profit in the community. Over the years, WellsFest has raised more than a million dollars for worthy charitable causes. In 2012, WellsFest was the recipient of the Governor’s Excellence in the Arts Award for Arts.
“The Center for Violence Prevention is grateful to be chosen as the recipient for this year’s WellsFest,” said Sandy Middleton, executive director. “This event is known for its capacity to bring the community together in support of the Metro’s charities. The proceeds from this year’s event will support the construction of a therapy facility that will enable us to serve more children who have been traumatized by violence and human trafficking.”
For more information about WellsFest, call 601.353.0658 or visit www.wellschurch.org or www.wellsfest.org.
