April 25 At Club NewFit—

Wine Tasting & Silent Auction Fundraiser For Dual Causes

A wine and food tasting event, with a silent auction also planned, will take place at Club NewFit on Friday, April 25.

Tickets are $35 per person, with partial proceeds to be divided between the fundraising for a new dog pound for Newtown and Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue (NUSAR). After expenses for the event are covered, Sandy Hook Wine & Liquor will write a check for each of the intended recipients.

Wines will be provided by Sandy Hook Wine & Liquor. Newtown resident Mike Kerley, who owns the liquor store, is putting together a selection of domestic and foreign wines for tastings. Donations from local businesses and residents have provided a variety of auction items that should offer something for everyone who attends.

Tickets can be purchased at Sandy Hook Wine & Liquor, Club NewFit, Newtown Exxon, Sandy Hook Hair Company, and Newtown Animal Control until April 24. Tickets can also be ordered by sending a check, which should be made payable to Sandy Hook Wine & Liquor, to Wine And Food Tasting Tickets, 26 Canterbury Lane, Sandy Hook CT 06482.

The fundraiser will run from 7 to 10 pm. Club NewFit is at 23 Commerce Road (the former Newtown Health & Fitness location).

The current animal pound is located behind the town transfer station. It is old, overcrowded, and in need of replacement. There are plans in place to build a completely new facility, but fundraising needs to continue to cover the cost of the project, which has yet to break ground.

Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue is an all-volunteer emergency response team dedicated to saving lives through search and rescue operations. The organization also promotes water safety and awareness and provides public education.

NUSAR is a proud sponsor of the life jacket loaner program for kids, and loans families a personal flotation device for any situation. The team of 13 men and women operates primarily through donations and fundraisers.

Members of the Independent Part of Newtown (IPN) have volunteered to host the Friday night fundraiser. Donna Monteleone Randle, of the IPN Outreach Committee, said the event is about supporting these causes and not about her political organization.

“We hope to have a strong turnout from Newtown residents, whether they are IPN supporters, or they want to support construction of a new animal pound and the great work of the Newtown Underwater Search And Rescue Team,” Ms Monteleone Randle wrote in an e-mail statement. “It’s all about working together as Newtown residents to support projects that will improve our community.”

For additional information contact Ms Monteleone Randle at 364-9772 or NDRandle@charter.net.