Scene & Heard - Costume Party: Arbor Acres folks dress up, raise money for Meals-on-Wheels

It was a laugh a minute Thursday night with some beloved cartoon characters -- Tweety Bird, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Porky Pig, and more.

All the good times were at Arbor Acres' fundraiser, in its sixth year, to benefit Senior Services' Meals-on-Wheels program. All residents of Arbor Acres are invited to attend, and they can donate if they wish. Every year the theme has "CAR" in its name, such as CARnival in 2006 and CARolina in 2008, in order to honor the cars driven by volunteers to deliver the meals daily.

This year's theme was CARtoon. Participants were encouraged to dress up as their favorite cartoon character. And event organizers made flower arrangements for each table out of newspaper comics pages.

Since Arbor Acres started the annual event, they have raised more than $107,000. This year they are at $28,000 and counting.

Jo Woestendiek greeted me at the door and showed me around. She was a perfect fit for the night in her Cat in the Hat costume. "Everyone plans for weeks and weeks for this event, and it's just as much fun planning as attending. Since people live in all different places of Arbor Acres, we don't always get to see each other. But for the big occasions like this, we all get together and it's fun," she said.

Paul Lawson was dressed as Mickey Mouse. "I wanted to be Mickey tonight because we're about the same age. At 82, what better to be than Mickey?" he asked.

Jean Hole, one of the seven dwarfs, walked by. "This is a great production. It's really wonderful to have the staff and administration mix in as well," she said.

Elizabeth Lewis, the chairperson of this year's event, was working at the bar: "Everyone here is so eager to help and get involved. It's really good to know that someone will be getting a hot meal that wouldn't otherwise have one. People here are so eager and generous, and they love to do something for someone else. We have it really good, so it's nice to give back."

As I entered a lounge, I saw a very convincing Cruella DeVille from 101 Dalmatians. Mil Naugle sat on one of the chairs, holding a Dalmatian, with a poufy white and black wig and a cascading white boa. Though she looked the part of the menacing villain, her true kindness was shining through: "It's wonderful fun. To be a part of the night and get dressed up is great."

Near the entrance to the kitchen, Lucy had her own booth, handing out psychiatric wisdom. Lew Batchelor was having fun giving out prescription sheets that listed advice. "I love all the costumes and watching everyone go by," she said.

Darrell Johnson, the kitchen supervisor, and Jeff Hoover, the director of dining services, were proud of the buffet. The residents who planned CARtoon chose the menu. Then it was up to the kitchen staff to make it come alive. The array was impressive -- Wimpy burgers, Dagwood sandwiches, Tweety Bird wings and much more. "This night is not so much about work, it's just a lot of fun," said Johnson.

In the dining room was a mound of desserts, including Charlie brownies, cupcakes and eclairs, all made by pastry chef Richard Ubertaccio.

Then it was time for the most anticipated part of the evening -- the CARtoon's show, a musical comedy. There were two showings to accommodate everyone who wanted to see it, the first one at 5:30 p.m. and then one at 8 p.m. The Gary Lewis Band played music between the performances. David Piner, president of Arbor Acres, chose the cast and directed. Piner played Bugs Bunny in the production.

Jule Spach, the former president of Arbor Acres, dressed as Hagar the Horrible. "This event is great because it raises so much money. Every year there is a different theme, so it's a lot of fun to discover what the new theme will be," he said.

Jon Burkhart greeted me with a hearty "good grief" just before he went on stage as Charlie Brown. "I moved here after being in Maui for over 20 years. This is my first experience with this night, but I have heard people talk about it for a long time. The cast has been working very hard for this."

The 30-minute show included many songs that spoke to the wonderful work of Meals-on-Wheels.

Jean Steelman, as Jiminy Cricket, gave a moving performance of "When You Wish Upon a Star," and Les Cranfill brought the house down as Yosemite Sam. Clearly a lot of work went into the production, and it was done with a desire to have fun while helping many members of the community.

Richard Gottlieb, president and CEO of Senior Services, stood near the back, soaking in the performance and talking with many of the guests.

"This Arbor Acres fundraiser is fantastic. Every year they try to outdo their previous year. Really, this is just a win-win situation. All of Arbor Acres has a ball, and at the same time they are really helping and giving back. The money they raise allows many home-bound seniors to have a visit and a hot meal," he said.

Festivities picked up again after the show, and Lynn Ross, director of marketing and public relations for Arbor Acres, walked around dressed as Marge Simpson, with a tower of blue frizzy hair. "We love to do this every year. It's a wonderful way for everyone to feel like they are giving back to Winston-Salem, and Meals-on-Wheels is a case very dear to our residents' hearts," she said.

Arbor Acres' CARtoon fundraiser successfully raised money for Meals-On-Wheels, providing a night full of socializing and quality entertainment, while showcasing a valuable program in the community.

And when it comes to the recipe for a successful night out -- "That's all folks."

cworf@wsjournal.com | 727-4076