Flora Of Michigan Opening Art Gala

Rescheduled to May 1st
Price (includes two wine or soda drink tickets or one flight of wine and a drink ticket and all food stations, tea and coffee)
$25 advanced
$30 at the door

For tickets or information please contact the park at 734-243-7136 or stop by at the visitor center at 1403 E. Elm Ave., Monroe, MI

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Flora of Michigan Art Exhibition Grand Opening Gala

Monroe & Wayne Counties, Michigan – Superintendent Scott J. Bentley announced today that the 2020 Flora of Michigan Art Exhibition Grand Opening Gala has been set for Friday, April 3, 2020. “Building on the success of the 2019 Art Exhibition, we are expecting over 70 artists to enter over 200 pieces of art from Michigan and Ohio in the Exhibition,” said Superintendent Bentley.

The Art Exhibition Grand Opening Gala will feature amazing foods and drinks from 12 Monroe County restaurants and caterers that include pairings with eight varieties of wine from Michigan’s award-winning Hickory Creek Winery. While enjoying the art, food and wine, participants will have the opportunity to experience a wine making presentation and meet Hickory Creek Winery owner and wine maker Adam McBride. The evening will be the perfect place to enjoy time with friends as you enjoy great food, live music, award winning wine and amazing original art! Gala guests will also have the first opportunity to purchase original art created by area artists, buy plants and participate in a silent auction and raffle throughout the evening. Proceeds from the Art Gala will support art programs and acquisitions for River Raisin National Battlefield Park educational programs.

When: Friday, April 3, 2020
7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Where: River Raisin National Battlefield Park Education Center
333 N. Dixie Highway
Monroe, Michigan 48162

Cost: $25.00 in advance or $30 at the door (includes two wine or soda drink tickets or one flight of wine and a drink ticket and all food stations, tea and coffee). Tickets may be purchased in advance at the River Raisin National Battlefield Park Visitor Center located at 1403 E. Elm Ave. in Monroe, Mi or by phone at 734-243-7136.

The River Raisin National Battlefield Park Foundation is honored to recognize and thank the 2020 Flora of Michigan Art Gala and Exhibition sponsors and supporters. Title Sponsors are First Merchants Bank and the Monroe County Historical Society; Major Sponsors are Beckett & Raeder and ITC; Art Sponsors are La-Z-Boy, Sieb Plumbing and Heating, and the Honorable Mayor Robert and Val Clark; and Sponsor Hassett Title! Featured evening food is being generously provided by Agua Dulce, Angelo’s Chop House, Fazolies, Kabob One, Personal Choice Catering, Public House, R-Dinner, Bedrock Quarry, Brass Monkey/Quarto’s, Cakes by Stephanie, El Magueys, and Monica’s Baker Boy!

The Silent Auction will include a great selection of items from Agua Dolce, the Book Nook, Cakes by Stephanie, Deb’s Floral, Family Farm and Home – Flat Rock, Frenchie’s Fine Jewelry, Hickory Creek Winery, Hometown Pharmacy, Jacks Bicycle, Lamour Printing, the Monroe County Convention and Tourism Bureau, Susie Sweets, Tiffany Hamilton Photography, Tractor Supply and more! A tremendous thanks to Art Exhibition curators Darlene Belair and Becky Mullins and volunteer coordinators Andrew Bentley, Maryne Bentley and Rusty Davis!

Hickory Creek Winery: Hickory Creek Winery has a humble, yet storied past in the Southwest Michigan winery community. Founded by a partnership of grape farmers in 2006, it started simply as an outlet for wines produced from the estate. The founders built a livery barn to house winemaking operations and a small winemaker’s quarters. Soon, Hickory Creek had a local following and reputation for producing classic European-style wines with vitis vinifera fruit.
The boutique winery was part of a small movement of winemakers who started making dry to off-dry wines, focusing on quality over quantity and featuring world-class wine made from the fruit of the Southwest Michigan wine region. As American wine palates matured and the public became more educated about wine quality, Hickory Creek continued its work to change the perception of Southwest Michigan wines.
In September 2017, Adam McBride, a West Michigan native, purchased the winery. He continues the tradition of hand-crafting world European-style wines from throughout the Lake Michigan Shore AVA (American Viticulture Area).
Adam McBride: Adam’s passion for wine started in one of the world’s great wine regions, Germany’s Mosel Valley. Living for 2 years in a small winemaking village nestled between steep sloped Riesling vineyards, he developed a deep appreciation for not only wine, but its makers, its culture, and its impact on community. The seed was planted, and it stayed with him. After a distinguished 8-year career as a Logistics Officer in the United States Airforce and stints running logistics for some of Michigan’s most prominent manufacturers (Steelcase, Stryker), he finally made the dream of running a winery/vineyard a reality. Adam is the owner of Rock Paper Scissors Wine Company LLC and Hickory Creek Winery in Buchanan, Michigan. Adam has his Masters of Business Administration from Michigan State University Eli Board School of Business, a Bachelors in Social Relations from Michigan State University, formal wine education through Napa Valley Wine Academy and the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (Level 3 Award with Distinction), and is currently studying Viticulture and Enology at Lake Michigan College.
River Raisin National Battlefield Park:
River Raisin National Battlefield Park preserves, commemorates, and interprets the January 1813 battles of the War of 1812 and their aftermath in Monroe and Wayne counties in Southeast Michigan. The Battles of the River Raisin resulted in the greatest victory for Tecumseh’s Confederation and the greatest defeat for the United States during the War of 1812. Although American forces were victorious in the first battle, the second ended in what was described as a “national calamity” by then General William Henry Harrison, and later President of the United States. The battle cry, “Remember the Raisin!” inspired a massive U.S. victory at the Battle of the Thames, which sealed the War of 1812 in the western theater for the U.S., claimed the life of the great Shawnee War Chief, Tecumseh, and resulted in the end of the American Indian Confederation. The aftermath of the Battles resulted in the formation and implementation of Indian removal policies and laws at the conclusion of the War of 1812, an aftermath that continues to influence the United States today. For more in-depth information about the Battlefield please visit www.nps.gov/rira/ or www.battlefieldfoundation.org
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 418 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.