Top Auction Items (that you can get at this year’s On the Road!)

By UMS

On the Road is an annual dinner and auction benefiting UMS Education and Community Engagement Programs, which bring arts experiences to over 25,000 students, teacher and community members yearly. The evening features a silent auction, a live auction, fabulous food and extraordinary entertainment.

The Big Apple with UMS President Ken Fischer

Imagine the excitement of a weekend in New York, with its shopping, fine dining, museums and theater, all within walking distance of your hotel.

We spent an afternoon with the Martha Graham Dance Company as they rehearsed for an upcoming performance. While we were standing against the studio wall, only inches away from the dancers, the Director shared information about each of the dancer’s roles. After a sumptuous dinner and wonderful conversation with Ken and U-M Musical Theatre alumnus Leonard Navarro at a posh new restaurant in Lincoln Center, we enjoyed A Little Night Music from the best seats in town. After the theater, we were invited to a late evening reception at Ken’s suite, where we were treated like royalty as Ken introduced us to his counterparts from around the world.

The purest form of inspiration, the kind that touches your heart, is in watching the faces of the students as they disembark from their buses and the excitement flowing out of the building after experiencing a UMS Youth Performance, and we were able to support these experiences through our purchase of this item. Now that’s money well spent!

This package is part of the live auction.

—Eileen and Ted Thacker won this item last year. Eileen was the Chair of “On the Road” in 2010 and will be Chair of the Advisory Committee during the 2012-13 season.

UM Football Package

Five years ago I was the lucky bidder for this package.

Before the game, at UM President Mary Sue Coleman’s popular tailgate party, we had the chance to meet Mary Sue Coleman, Mike Wallace (retired CBS newsman and U-M grad), and many other interesting people. (I do believe Ken knows everyone in Ann Arbor and beyond!)

Being on the field before the game brought me face to face, literally, with members of the Michigan Marching Band as they high-stepped off the field. I was tempted to reach for the board where the coach marks the Xs and Os just to see how well I could do. At half-time I saw a totally different, beautiful view of the field from the press box. The game was great—Michigan won.

This package is part of the live auction.

—Louise Townley is a long-time UMS supporter and former chair of the Advisory Committee. She chaired the 2010 Ford Honors Program, which recognized Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony.

Fly-fishing Package

Begin your fly-fishing adventure on the shores of the Huron River with one of Ann Arbor’s most notable fly-fishing teachers, Mike Mouradian (president of Ann Arbor Trout Unlimited), who will provide lunch from Zingerman’s along with his expertise.

Michigan’s trout streams are  unrivaled, and continue to be restored and protected with the efforts of organizations like Trout Unlimited, and many volunteers.

Certificates and brochures regarding details of this exciting adventure are contained in an antique French creel from the collections of former Advisory Committee member Steve Rosoff’s France Ici, adorned with hand-tied flies created by flyfisherman and friend of UMS Arnold Kluge.

This package is part of the live auction.

—Jean Kluge is a former member of the Advisory Committee and a legendary retired Ann Arbor Public Schools kindergarten teacher.

52 Card Wine Draw

We love UMS’s On the Road for so many reasons: wonderful food, terrific entertainment, and socializing with friends all while supporting the Education and Community Engagement Program. This year we are anxiously hoping that we purchase the winning ticket for the amazing wine raffle. We are already salivating over the possibility of 3 cases – 36 bottles of exceptional vintages. Since each bottle is guaranteed to be worth a minimum of $75 that means we – if we only purchase one ticket – have a 1-in-52 chance of winning wine worth over $2,700. (However, I’ve been told that the actual value is closer to $5,000!) We love to cook and pair wine with food, so this is truly our type of opportunity. Even if we don’t win, we still “win” by helping to support UMS and who knows, maybe someone we know will win and invite us to one of the wine and food pairings they are sure to have.

This item is part of the Super Silent auction.

—Susan Fisher and John Waidley are perennial UMS concert-goers and supporters. Susan is the current chair of the Advisory Committee.

Hand Blown Glass Bowl

 I saw this Selo/Shevel glass bowl in the gallery last spring and loved it. It’s more a burst of sunlight than a bowl. I didn’t buy it at the time, though I kept thinking about it. When I learned that it was donated to the OTR auction, I thought, “How wonderful!”  Now I’ll have a second chance to buy it and I can support UMS Education at the same time. I’ve ushered at Youth Performances and served as the coordinator of the first Royal Shakespeare Company Residency, two amazing arts education experiences made possible by UMS. I’m grateful to UMS for bringing the performing arts into our lives every year, and I can’t wait to bid high on the sunburst bowl!

Silent Auction item #501, Hand Blown Glass Bowl, Studio Tour and Glass Blowing Class

—Debbie Herbert is a long-time UMS supporter and a member of the UMS Senate.

On the Road with UMS 2011 takes place Friday, September 16th at 6:30PM in the A. Alfred Taubman Biomedical Science Research Building.  Please call 734-764-8489 for more information.