Comedy and Cuisine

Kindergarten

Take time to stop and smell the roses! The Kindergarten will inspire you with this beautiful rose garden surrounding a black and white collage of little faces. Let’s watch these little personalities bloom with a colorful start to the many years at St. Cecilia.

First Grade

Mrs. Swanson’s First Grade class art project explores color and the various historical forms of the cross. The project was inspired by the similarity of marking the cross on the forehead with ashes to the childhood joy of finger-painting. The assembled cross forms make a joyful statement of praise through youthful exuberance.

Second Grade

A one-of-a-kind, free-standing rustic iron cross (approx 27” h & 15” w), decorated with water-colored stones created by the entire 2nd Grade class capturing what their First Holy Communion means to them.

Third Grade

Spectacular three piece metal coffee table with glass top. There is one large serving table with two cube nesting tables. Around the frame of each table, there are Catholic symbols drawn by the St. Cecilia third grade students which were then cut into the metal frame using a plasma cutter.

Fourth Grade

Heart of the Cathedral - A 12” x 12” leather book of photographs taken by the fourth grade students. Enjoy trying to find the location of these photos, while appreciating the beauty of the Cathedral through the eyes of our students. Many of the photos were taken while on private behind-the-scenes tours by Fr. Gutgsell.

Fifth Grade

The fifth grade has created a perpetual calendar splashed with color and advice. This magnetic chalkboard will keep everyone in your family on schedule throughout the year.

Sixth Grade

Painting of St. Cecilia Cathedral – This beautiful painting of St. Cecilia’s is based on a photograph taken by parishioner Mark Kresl. A digital file of the photo was first manipulated on a computer to create solid blocks of color that represent the shadows and detail of the Cathedral. The image was enlarged and separated into 35 rectangles. Each student received one of the rectangles. They carefully transferred the image onto a piece of illustration board using a grid system to ensure accuracy, and then painted the board. The individual paintings were then reassembled to create a 24 x 36” composite of our beautiful Cathedral. Their project brings to mind ‘We are many parts, we are all one body’.

Seventh Grade

The 7th grade class art project consists of multiple copper “tiles” embossed by the students. The “tiles’, enhanced with decorative glass, are arranged in a pattern to form a frame for a 20” by 30” mirror.

Eighth Grade

The eighth graders are getting ready to leave the St. Cecilia Elementary nest! Each 8th grader designed a colorful bird to be placed on a tree ready to fly away. What a delightful way to celebrate the culmination of their years together!

General Auction Rules

All bid sales are final. Items cannot be exchanged or returned unless specifically noted in the program. Payment in full is expected at the close of the auction. St. Cecilia Grade School is not responsible for sold items. Final ownership or title is conveyed after payment in full is received for all auction merchandise. Please make every effort to take your purchases with you at the close of the evening. This is especially important this year as storage for items is not available. Items not removed from the premises will be deemed property of Cathedral Comedy and Cuisine and may be sold at a future event. Warranties are not made with respect to the value or quality of the item or service purchased. Items will be displayed for your inspection from 5:30pm to 9:00pm. Auction tables will begin closing at approximately 7:30pm. IRS Disclosure regulations require that we place a fair market estimate value on all products and services sold tonight. Any amount paid beyond that contract amount can be claimed as a charitable donation to the extent allowed by law. Please keep your contract as your receipt. Bidders who elect at registration to be served under the QuickCheck system do not have to stand in line to pay for their purchases. Instead, QuickCheck guests will have paid receipts for their purchases delivered to them during the course of the auction. Please see QuickCheck information for details.

QuickCheck

QuickCheck is by far the easiest and fastest way to pay for winning bids. Avoid the wait in line at the end of the evening. We are offering this convenience to our auction guests in addition to our usual checkout procedure. Winning bidders who have used Quickcheck are able to bypass cash lines and go directly to the merchandise area to claim their items. To set up your account, go to the QuickCheck table at registration as soon as you arrive and present either a credit card for imprinting or a signed check. Your purchases will be combined so that only one check or imprint is needed. You may choose this option before 8:00 pm at the registration table. Thank you for your cooperation in this effort.

Silent Auction and Super Silent Auction

Silent Auction and Super Silent Auction items will have write-in bid sheets. Each bidder must write their name and bid number next to the amount of their bid on the appropriate sheet. Each item is assigned a minimum bid amount. Bids under the minimum will not be accepted. Each bid must exceed the previous bid by the increment on the sheet. A limited number of items will include a "Guaranteed Purchase" price, making it the last bid. It is generally higher than the item's estimated value. The “Guaranteed Purchase” means a bid number entered there is an “instant winner” of that item. Cathedral Comedy and Cuisine Auction reserves the right to award the item to the highest bidder regardless of the increment. Silent Auction closings will stagger throughout the evening; successful bidders must go to the “checkout cashier” and pay for their items.

Live Auction

The Live Auction items will be on display from 5:30 p.m. until the end of the evening. The Live Auction begins immediately after the dinner program. Each bidder will be assigned a bid number and is responsible for all the bids made by this number. Each auction item is numbered. During the auction, the auctioneer will call out the item and give a brief description. At the call of the auctioneer “SOLD”, title to the item/service will pass to the highest bidder. A bid sheet will be delivered to the successful bidder which will document the successful bid.

Receiving Your Merchandise

1. First you need a “PAID” invoice; your invoice is your receipt! If you placed a winning bid in the Silent Auction, you will receive an invoice listing the items you have won and the amount due. If you have QuickCheck the invoice will be marked “PAID”. If you do not have QuickCheck, please take your invoice to the cashier where you may pay by cash, check or credit card. See General Auction Rules page.

2. Then pick up your merchandise! Take your “PAID” invoice with you to the merchandise pick up area. Items will not be released without presentation of a “PAID” invoice. Please make every effort to take your purchases with you when leaving. Assistance will be available. Any unclaimed items will be considered a donation to Cathedral Comedy and Cuisine or may be resold at a future event.

Thank you so much!

7:30 p.m.

Kids and Personal Services

7:40 p.m.

Food & Entertainment and Great Outdoors

7:50 p.m.

Sports and School Spirit

8:00 p.m.

Home Sweet Home and Art & Jewelry

8:25 p.m.

Super Silent

8:55 p.m.

Class Art Projects

Grain and Gadget, Baubles and Bubbles

5:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Grain and Gadget

Baubles and Bubbles

9:00 p.m.

Winners Announced

Baubles and Bubbles

Purchase a glass of champagne and you could be wearing this beautiful diamond star pendant

• 14 K white gold and diamond open star pendant.
• Pave-set, round brilliant diamonds weighing a total of 0.25 carats.
• SI-1 in clarity and GH in color.
• Suspended on a 14 K white gold 18” chain.
• Appraised Value: $700

Donated by Friends of St. Cecilia

Grain and Gadget

Purchase a specialty beer at a designated table for a chance to win an iPod touch

Salad

Spinach Salad
Served with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

Entree

Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Vegetarian Option Available

Bakery Fresh Rolls and Sweet Cream Butter

Side Dishes

Smoked Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Buttered Brocolini and Baby Carrots

Dessert

Layered Chocolate Mousse Cake
Lemoncello Cake

5:30 p.m.

Cocktails
Silent Auction Tables Open for Bidding

7:15 p.m.

Invocation

Welcome and Dinner
Mike Kelly

7:30 p.m.

Silent Auction Begins to Close

8:00 p.m. - Following Dinner:

Introduction of Honorary Chairs
Barry and Mary Agnes Gerken
Bob and Mary Kay Gerken

Presentation of Great Steward Award
Great Family Award

8:30 p.m.

Live Auction

Following Program:
Comedian John Paul Morgan

Dear Friends of Saint Cecilia,

We gather once again to celebrate the wonderful gift of Saint Cecilia Elementary School. So many people before us have used their time, energy, talents and Catholic Faith to lay the foundation or to cultivate the spirit and the environment which would form the young people through the experiences of our school. Families and generations within families have been positively influenced through this school and parish experience. Individual teachers and faculties have blessed the lives of students through the process of instruction, encouragement, challenge and discipline at Saint Cecilia Elementary School. In return they have received blessings.

The gift of Saint Cecilia Elementary School is not an experience limited to the past. It has and is a dynamic present experience.

The gift of Saint Cecilia Elementary School reaches beyond the present experience through the lives of its alumni. Whatever the age of our alumni (and I believe the oldest alum of the Elementary School reaches back to the late 1920’s or early 1930’s) each one and the entire number of them exhibit a “future” that Saint Cecilia Elementary School opened for them. Each one departed the halls of our school to fill a “future” with personal integrity and industry, with Catholic Faith and Christian witness, with the prepared capacity to learn and live and lead family life, professions and careers, neighborhood and social interactions, religious practice and in countless commitments to goodness and truth and service of others.

The 2009 Comedy & Cuisine co-chairs, Mike and Martha O’Connor and Rus and Marci Biven, have devoted countless hours of planning, collaborating and enticing a brigade of volunteers to make our gathering enjoyable and successful for the continuing future of Saint Cecilia Elementary School. If you see them this evening or think about it in the weeks to come be sure to thank them.

These are challenging time for Catholic Schools. These are challenging times for families and for young people preparing for adult responsibilities in the world of tomorrow. The legacy of Saint Cecilia Elementary School offers hope for our challenges and it also challenges our hopes for new successes and successful alumni.

I appreciate your support of this evening and am grateful for your continuing support of our school.

Fr. Michael Gutgsell
Pastor

Dear Parents, Alums, and Friends,

Welcome to the 2009 Comedy and Cuisine celebration. We are so glad that you have been able to join us for an evening of fund raising and fun-raising! We are grateful for your presence and your support.

Our faculty motto this year has been: What makes a good school good is that it is always striving to be better. In a year of transition, renovation, and innovation, we have continued to move forward by striving to be better. We are able to do so by following the footpath laid by those who have gone before us. We are also mindful of our responsibility to prepare a path to lead those who will follow after us.

Your spiritual, personal, and financial support are the stones that form the foundation of this path. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for our St. Cecilia Cathedral School and Parish family.

Yours in Christ,

Paulette Rourke

As honorary chairpersons for this year’s Comedy & Cuisine, we would like to thank you for this honor and for your participation in this important fund-raising event. Comedy & Cuisine represents the coming together of many volunteers and contributors who share the desire to help the school that has done so much to shape our lives and the lives of our children.

When we were raising our children, we often commented on how true was the statement that “it takes a village to raise a child.” Over those many years we found again and again that our village was St. Cecilia’s. Whether we were on the bleachers at the baseball field, at Mass in the Cathedral on Sunday, sitting in the gym watching the grade school musical, or socializing at Mama’s, we always knew that the community of St. Cecilia’s was keeping the welfare of our children and their best interests close to their hearts.

We also know that the current economic environment makes the sacrifices of Catholic education a real challenge for many. But please believe us: those sacrifices reap a multitude of blessing on all who accept the challenge. Your belief in the mission of St. Cecilia Grade School is the reason our school is the nationally recognized Blue Ribbon institution it is today.

So once again, thank you for your participation tonight, for your continued support of St. Cecilia, and most of all, for the cherished friendships you have shared with us.

Sincerely yours,

Barry and Mary Gerken

Bob and Mary Gerken

Dear St. Cecilia Friends,

Welcome to the twelfth annual Comedy & Cuisine! The Lord has blessed our school and parish in many ways. An important blessing has been the many parishioners, alumni, and friends who have said “yes” to this event over the years.

Our honorary chairs, Barry and Mary Agnes Gerken and Bob and Mary Kay Gerken, have been dedicated and committed to the school and parish for decades, and we appreciate their “yes” for stepping forward this year. They follow in a line of honorary chairs whose “yes” has been heard for years and whose hearts will always be with our school.

St. Cecilia also has been blessed with wonderful stewards and families. Tonight we honor Leo Batenhorst, a former school employee and longtime volunteer, as Great Steward, also recognizing the support from his wife, Rose. We are honoring as Great Family the Stoffel families who have been a vital part of our school and parish for more than six decades. All these individuals have said
“yes” for many years.

We also appreciate the many volunteers who have stepped up and said “yes” to us this year. We have had an outpouring of support. We thank the 2010 Chairs, Michael and Kimberly Joyce and Mike and Julie Swartz, who have said “yes” to this event next year. We also thank you for saying “yes” to Comedy & Cuisine. Your attendance tonight says “yes,” you believe in this school. Your contributions tonight will support the school’s mission of academic excellence in a Catholic faith community.

Enjoy the evening!

Rus & Marci Biven
2009 Co-Chairs

Mike & Martha O'Connor
2009 Co-Chairs