As the leaves begin to turn to vibrant shades of red, purple and orange, and the temperature begins to slowly drop, the fall marks the return of a seasonal favourite — the Orangeville Highlands Rotary Club’s annual Taste of Autumn fundraiser gala.

“It’s a fundraiser, a gala, and a dinner featuring a live and silent auction,” said Margorie Grime, one of the organizing members. “It’s really quite the event. You get to shop, socialize and eat all in one evening and one place.”

The event was started 21 years ago, when the service club was
looking to create a new kind of event for the area that could function as a fun night, but also to raise money.

“We were looking for a fundraiser, and one of our members suggested the Taste of Autumn idea,” explained Ms. Grime. “The first couple of years we had between 250 to 300 people in attendance. It was incredible. It was the first dinner fundraiser to occur in the area.”

The Taste of Autumn is held at Hockley Valley Resort, and showcases local foods that help celebrate the season, while raising funds for local and international projects. This year, the funds raised will be going to support the Alzheimer Society Dufferin County and the Guatemala Literacy Project, which is a partnership with Cooperative for Education that provides textbooks, computer labs, scholarships, literacy and training programs to underprivileged children in
Guatemala.

“In the 21 years that we have hosted this event, we’ve raised in excess of $2 million for various projects and causes, both locally and internationally,” said Cathy Campbell, another organizer.

The cost of the fundraiser is $160 per person, with a tax receipt of $35 available per ticket. The Taste of Autumn dinner will take place at Hockley Valley Resort on October 24 from 5:30-10:30 p.m. Rooms are also available for the night at Hockley Valley resort at a special accommodation rate for the event.

To book a room at Hockley Valley Resort, call 519-942-0754 and quote ‘Taste of Autumn’.

To purchase tickets or find out more about the event, visit www.rcoh.ca or call 1-866-605-7082.