Old Hotel celebrates birthday with drive-thru dinner
Janice Harris smiles as she's handed her meal at The Old Hotel Art Gallery Birthday Benefit on Saturday afternoon in Othello.
Left to right, Jenny Marsh, Anna Short, Cindy Colley, Jessica Lustig, Geri Schrom, Diana Brault and Linda Crosier helped prepare meals to be handed out at the Birthday Benefit for the Old Hotel Art Gallery on Saturday.
Jenn Stevenson, Director at the Old Hotel Art Gallery in Othello, wears her party hat on the front porch of the hotel on Saturday afternoon as the Othello gallery celebrated its Birthday Benefit.
Noah Stevenson hands Trudy Doolittle her meal on late Saturday afternoon as The Old Hotel Art Gallery celebrated their Birthday Benefit Auction.
OTHELLO — The Old Hotel celebrated its 45th anniversary as an art galley with a drive-thru banquet.
Director Jenn Stevenson said about 115 people picked up banquet meals on wheels. In fact, there weren’t enough meals to serve people who hadn’t bought tickets.
“It all went off pretty smooth,” Stevenson said.
Normally the Old Hotel board and administrators celebrate its birthday with a party and buffet, and the gala aspect of it all is a big attraction, she said. But this is 2020.“And a buffet is not an option,” she said.
The Old Hotel board didn’t want to cancel the party, but they needed to come up with a different idea. “We discussed lots and lots of different options,” she said.
Board members still wanted to make it a celebration, Stevenson said, and still wanted to make it an event. They settled on the drive-thru option. Board members helped package and deliver the meals. “The board was amazing,” Stevenson said.
An online auction was part of the 2020 fundraiser and wrapped up Tuesday. A wine sale was part of the drive-thru, Stevenson said.
Along with dinner participants got a cupcake with a birthday candle for dessert.
Stevenson said Old Hotel board members didn’t know what to expect in a drive-thru format.
“We were thrilled with the numbers we got,” she said.
