Historic Round Top Venue's First Ever Fundraising Gala Raises More Than $450,000: Stepping Up for Festival Hill

Nine months in the making, the beautiful white tent rose from the fields with event-planning help from Big Time Creatives. The Round Top Festival Institute’s first fundraising gala, held inside the gloriously climate-controlled tent erected on the grounds of the historic arts and entertainment venue, raised more than $450,000. It was an enchanting evening with a menu from Royers Round Top Cafe and dancing to jazz guitarist Ric Cortez and Jazz Rico. More than 400 locals and supporters of the arts flocked to raise funds for Festival Hill’s operations, student scholarships, and concerts.

Best dressed: an elegant scene was set for the first-ever Festival Hill Gala. Floral arrangements were created with locally grown flowers by Cuts of Color out of Weimar.

During the evening, guests watched a video of the Texas State History Museum Foundation’s History-Making Texan Award presentation to Festival Hill founder and artistic director James Dick, which recently took place at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. “It was a very moving overview of the 50 years of Festival Hill,” said gala coordinator Pat Johnson. The living-legend presentation included tributes from board member Mandy Dealey, conductor Perry So, and longtime docent Jack Elvig. To further commemorate the night, co-chairs Katrina and Mark Elvig presented engraved crystal music boxes to Dick and the volunteer planning committee.

Round Top icons: Festival Hill founder and creative director James Dick with Bybee Foundation managing director and owner of Round Top Design Group, Jacquelyn Ditsler.

To boost the bottom line, guests enthusiastically bid on trips and more. Cheryl and David Snell were top bidders of the night, laying down $22,000 for a one-week stay at BirchHaven, the private Maine retreat belonging to the co-chairs, and $14,000 for a five-day stay at Mountain Shadows, a Spanish Colonial-style estate home on 100 acres near Marfa donated by board member Susan Ashcroft and her husband, Richard. Frank Hillbolt of Round Top Real Estate won a dinner for 10 from Ellis Motel, Round Top Smokehouse, and Little Cheese Shop for $7,200, and funded a $6,000 scholarship for Festival Hill’s Summer Festival young artists. Two tickets to a Lyle Lovett concert, donated by the singer and his wife, April Kimble, also numbered among the hottest items up for bid, going for $1,000.

Cinda and Armando Palacios of Hotel Lulu and Lulu’s restaurants.

Business owners Andy Johnson, Beth Weishuhn, and Zuzana and Jim Kastleman toast the evening with Fayette County Judge candidate and Chief of Emergency Management Craig Moreau and wife Jamie.

Philanthropist Jim Roy.

Auction item: limited edition giclee “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by artist Sally Maxwell of a Texas longhorn bull from the Oviedo herd on Creamer Creek Road in La Grange.

Auction item created and donated by Meredith Hadaway of Southern Beasts.

Spotted: Committee members Jessica Anders, Susie Glasscock, Judy Hancock, Joanie Havlick, Joan and Jerry Herring of Red & White Gallery, Sandy and Father Bill Miller, Susannah Mikulin, Anna Oeding, Leslie Penello, Frances Pittman of Oak Hill Ranch, and Cindy Stephens; JB and Jamie Len Royer of Royers Round Top Cafe; Denise Jacobs of Round Top Real Estate; Steve Ditsler, board member of the Round Top Family Library; Festival Hill program director Alain Declert; Ralph and Faith Frerichs of The Jersey Barnyard; Janet and Richard Schmidt of Richard Schmidt Jewelry; Clemencia and Jordan Larimore of Tré for the Gathering; Martha Turner | Sotheby’s International Realty agent Linda Plant; Melissa Roberts; Ruth Elvig; Fayette County Chief of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Craig Moreau and wife Jamie; Cinda and Armando Palacios of Hotel Lulu, Lulu’s restaurant and Mandito’s; John Cone and Greg Fourticq of Red Antler bungalows, along with Patsy Fourticq; Nichole Petrie and Christopher Bachman of Bachman + Petrie, with Simon, Randy and Jill; Wendy Burks, who headed the Fayetteville Community Center Theater Gala, with husband Cade.