Mardi Gras in Maricopa

Mardi Gras and Vieux Carré, the French Quarter, are coming to Maricopa Saturday at the 6th Annual Against Abuse, Inc. Seeds of Change Gala at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino Resort.

The event begins at 6 p.m. with a reception, featuring music by JazZona, and a chance for guests to bid on the approximately 60 silent auction items on display. Amy Jamieson Photography will be available for event photos, and a special New Orleans-style dinner menu will be served at 7:30 p.m. followed by the comedy of Susan Vass.

Five items will be up for bid at 7 p.m. with auctioneer Keith Stump, and credit cards will be accepted for all items. The live auction items include a Mission-style dining table with six chairs and a hutch, as well as a recliner from the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries. Harrah’s has donated a two-night Mardi Gras stay in New Orleans, including a $150 Bash Steakhouse gift certificate, both good through mid-July.

A handmade Lone Star Log Cabin quilt, crafted and donated by the ladies of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilts, the Maricopa quilt guild, will be part of the live auction. The quilt measures 100″ x 100″ and will cover a king-sized bed and or be a full bedspread for a queen-sized bed. Guild members selected the pattern and fabric in July and worked on cutting and piecing it for three months.

Proceeds from the tickets for Saturday’s event, which are $75 per person, silent and live auction items and the raffle will go toward the establishment of the Maricopa women and children’s shelter. Each $75 provides one night’s shelter for a mother and her children.

The Maricopa shelter project started with a small group of 15 women, headed by Torri Anderson, wanting to do something to address the domestic violence issue in Maricopa. They met with Against Abuse Inc. in 2005 and decided to organize the 1st Annual Against Abuse Inc. Seeds of Change Gala in February 2006, raising over $60,000 and establishing a building fund.

The name “Seeds of Change” comes from the history of Maricopa’s farming community and the change that planting seeds can make in a field. The committee’s hope is that they are planting positive seeds for the future of domestic violence survivors.

Tickets for Saturday’s Mardi Gras event are available by calling Anderson at 520-560-3665. Fewer than 25 tickets are still available.

“This event is all about Maricopa; it’s for Maricopa and by Maricopa,” said Anderson. “We are so grateful to the local businesses and individuals who have continued to support us.”

Photo courtesy of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilts