ESK Hosts 12th Annual Saints’ Gala “Full Steam Ahead”

The Episcopal School of Knoxville raised $120,000 for it students with the 12th Annual Saints’ Gala “Full Steam Ahead,” held Saturday, April 30, at the historic Jackson Terminal in the Old City. The event featured a dinner, with an auction of luxury items and children’s artwork.

About 215 guests attended the event to benefit ESK. Cicely Upham was the chair of the event with the assistance of several staff and parent volunteers. Bear Stephenson, of Stephenson Realty & Auction, served as the auctioneer for the evening. Hipshack, from Charlotte, N.C., provided the entertainment.

Guests were seated at linen-covered tables with flower arrangements provided by Lisa Foster Floral Designs, while dining on food prepared by All Occasions Catering. Guests were taken on a train tour through the South featuring “stops” in Charleston, New Orleans, Atlanta and Memphis. Food stations offered shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles, a macaroni and cheese bar and slow cooked BBQ beef brisket. Dessert included strawberry shortcake, pecan pie, Mississippi mud cake and assorted mousse shooters. Bob and Karen Gilbertson provided the wine.

During the silent auction, guests enjoyed butler passed hors d’oeuvres including deviled eggs, southern pimento cheese bites, three cheese stuffed mushrooms and caprese skewers.

Live and silent auction items included a reserved parking spot at school, an outdoor garden party for 30, trips to Ocean Isle Beach, N.C., Mexico and Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., a sleepover at Zoo Knoxville, a Thin Mint cookie basket, an ESK corn hole set, fly-fishing with ESK’s head of school Dr. Jack Talmadge and gift certificates to local restaurants.

A favorite feature of the annual benefit was the auction of artwork created by Lower School classes. Items included a quilt featuring kindergartener’s handprints, a mural of blocks painted by first grade students, a pillow with felt flowers cut by junior kindergarten students and a wood pallet with the state of Tennessee made out of bottle caps, created by fourth graders.

The school would like to thank the event sponsors: Rusty Wallace Automotive, Hank and Sandy Bertelkamp, Pyxl, Pilot FlyingJ, Functional Pathways, Ullrich Printing, Educational Outfitters, Bart Howell Nationwide Insurance, Scripps Network Interactive, Abercombie Radiology and BarberMcMurry Architects.