By Erin Graffy
The Profant Foundation is honoring the legacy of Stewart Abercrombie at this year’s “Fiesta Finale Gala.” The event will be held Sunday, August 6, at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. While the show is open to the public and can be viewed free, the gala portion is a fundraiser for the Profant Foundation, which provides scholarships for the performing arts regardless of age.
The gala tickets are $200 and include dinner and patron seating for the performance. The event kicks off at 5 pm with a festive reception – cocktails on the balcony of the courthouse, costume contest, exhibit and silent auction.
Then time to eat! The Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel caters a candlelit buffet dinner and on the lawn at dusk you can samba to Latin music.
At 8 pm, they get the show on the road. Enjoy dessert while watching world-class performances of professional dance and music. Within the program will be a special tribute to Stewart, and a highlight of the famous Brosik masks.
Do you remember those dances at the Fiesta courthouse shows back in the 1950s and 1960s that featured these giant colorful masks? The Profant Foundation purchased them to preserve them for the community’s cultural history.
Don’t forget – Gala guests can take the charming trolley for special transportation from and to Montecito. Call 682-8284 for info.
And by the way, the show is open to the public at 8 pm; you may watch without charge on the upper lawn of the Sunken Gardens.