As strong winds and heavy rains passed over downtown Columbus Saturday night, streetlights went dark, homes lost power and businesses closed their doors.
At the Columbus Arts Council’s annual fundraiser gala in Trotter Convention Center, the band played on.
CAC board president Mike Arzamendi was watching the weather forecasts, waiting to see if Columbus would get hit by the severe weather every television channel was promising. He had his worries, especially when the storm sirens started sounding just as the event was scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
“We all went down into the lower level,” he said. “I kept looking around at everything, all the decorations and how everything looked so beautiful. I thought, ‘Well, this could be a showstopper.'”
It was, in a sense. The Trotter lost power, along with half the downtown area, and organizers assumed the rain would dampen people’s plans to come out. But more than 150 attendees had a different idea.
They arrived despite the rain and the dark, shaking off coats and umbrellas, telling volunteers collecting tickets at the door that their homes had lost power, so they may as well take their tickets and have the evening they paid for. People coming in off the street, seeking shelter from increasing wind and rain, were invited to come in, get warm and have something to eat. By the glow of battery-operated lights and candles, attendees dined, talked and bid on silent auctions. The Mississippi University for Women jazz band played, proving that instruments like saxophones and trumpets truly need no light or amplification to be heard.
“I think, by candlelight, it was kind of magical,” said Colin Krieger, who helped organize and find sponsors for the event. “And even those who couldn’t attend still went online and purchased raffle tickets, which I think is a testament to people’s dedication.”
The original plan to honor the evening’s guest of honor, MUW Professor Emeritus of Art Larry Feeney, with a video tribute, went awry when the Trotter’s backup generators weren’t strong enough to support anything more than a microphone. However, that microphone, passed back and forth among attendees who wanted to honor Feeney with a kind word or anecdote, served its purpose.
“I think he was really touched,” said Krieger. “We all were.”
Krieger and Arzamendi aren’t yet sure of how much money the gala raised, but Arzamendi guessed it was “at least” $10,000 from sponsorships alone.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” he said. “It showed a commitment to Mr. Feeney and the arts that (people) were willing to show up during a tornado.”
“We were calling it ‘The Campfire Gala’,’ added Krieger. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
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