At this year’s holiday celebration and awards gala – we certainly celebrated the season in style! The event was held at the picture perfect Waterfront, located in The Lakes in Tempe. For many years, the Waterfront operated as a restaurant, and now caters to private parties and events.

The theme of this year’s event was an Arizona style winter wonderland. Winter cactus décor provided by Merestone productions accented this lakefront location. When guests entered the reception area, they were greeted by a giant cactus ice sculpture donated by Artistic Ice. Photographer Eric Baer donated his services to capture the evening on film, with many guests opting for formal portraits by the stone fireplace. To bring a special holiday feeling to the evening, the choir from Fremont Jr. High School performed a number of holiday classics. The group of boys and girls, dressed in formal outfits, is under the direction of………….

The evening progressed to the upper seating area, where the room was set with elegant table linens and chair covers, donated by BBJ Linens. Finishing off the touch were fabulous centerpieces incorporating the white of winter and the desert cactus, donated by McDonald Florists. Finally, for a special touch, small gift boxes tied with ribbon were set at each place setting, which held festive southwestern ornaments donated by Karen May with Destination Services.

Aventura Catering provided a wonderful meal, which was served buffet style. One of the best parts of a meal is dessert, and this was no exception as chefs prepared flaming bananas foster for everyone!

After dinner, President Linda Rudy presented our annual Chapter Awards and was assisted with the 2005 Board of Director Installation by special guest Fran Brasseux from HSMAI International. Congratulations to our award winners:

Member of the Year::
Sandy Rimmer, Ranger Resources