Autumnfest Cabaret

Our in-person autumn themed Cabaret, Saturday, November 12, is just around the corner! This will be a day of joyful activities for the entire family. I have found that planning events with families at the center opens a whole new realm of opportunities. Once again, member and staff engagement is the quiet theme for this year's gathering. Our event hopes to offer something for everyone, believing that when we come together as an extended community, fellowship happens. As with any event leaning on Mother Nature's goodwill for pleasant fall weather, we are planning a full range of inside and outside activites for the whole family. The Landmark Campus is home to all auction and raffle-related features: tables of silent auction favorites and raffle baskets will be in the Auditorium and spill into the Loggia. You don't want to miss our LIVE auction with MC Steve Goldberg! The Gaebler Livingroom will be bustling with tables of craft making (including creations for your Thanksgiving table), warmed by a fire in the hearth, and humming with voices of all ages. You can make your way to the Atrium Campus to decorate the Commons with the warm colors of the season. We'll celebrate the joy of being together with music and laughter, new and familiar faces, and friends of all ages. Outside the Landmark Hearthroom doors, our fire pits will be blazing! Enjoy our FLW-approved heaters, tables in the shelter tent where you can enjoy hot cocoa and hot cider and make s'mores to warm you from the inside. We'll have food carts in the parking lot until 3 pm--more detail on our food options will be coming soon. And excitingly, a first at Cabaret: animal guests from Haven's Petting Farm, including horse and pony rides. Other activities will include a hike in our prairie, filling bird feeders, or perhaps making fairy houses.

Cheryll Mellenthin, Project Coordinator

This event also expands to support our Madisonarea community. We'll be collecting your nonperishable food and personal care items for The River Food Pantry, which supports over 1,000 households in Dane County. Learn more about their current needs at their website, www.riverfoodpantry.org. The barrels for your donations will remain at FUS entrances through the following week. Autumnfest Cabaret is the collaborative effort of staff and members to gather us together in fellowship and highlight our values of inclusion and stewardship. This event is also our most important fundraiser of the year. Your advance ticket purchase helps us with planning to make sure we have enough fun and food for everyone. For those unable to participate in person, you can still support the event by becoming a sponsor or donating an auction item by Monday, November 7. More information about tickets and donations is available on our website at www. fusmadison.org/cabaret. Tickets will also be available at the door. If purchasing a ticket presents a financial hardship, please let me or Rev. Kelly Crocker know so we can be sure to provide you with free tickets. We are still looking for volunteers for both final plans and day-of activities; please contact me at cheryllm@ fusmadison.org to learn more about how you can help.