More than 175 Golden and Renaissance patrons, a few from as far away as Tennessee, poured into the Community House in Hinsdale for a pre-dinner champagne reception, hosted by Harris Bank Hinsdale, and an early-bird peek at wares offered by 34 antiques dealers from all parts of the country.
An hour later, patrons and other guests joined them for the preview party that kicked off the 35th annual Hinsdale Antiques Show and Sale to benefit the Community House, a non-profit facility established 52 years ago to provide educational, recreational and counseling programs for residents of Hinsdale and six nearby communities.
“I think the patron idea has really caught on because people can see how their donations are helping locally,” said Suzanne Petree, who co-chaired the show with Ashley Edwards. “We added the Renaissance patron category this year at $1,000 per couple, $500 more than in previous years, and people seemed happy to contribute.”
The theme of this year’s three-day event was Renaissance Revisited, carried out through decorations of tapestries, urns, columns and arches. As guests sipped champagne and nibbled hors d’oeuvres, they checked out exhibits of authentic treasures-antique furniture, crystal, china, jewelry and prints-then dined on antipasto, stuffed artichokes, veal Parmesan, lemon fettucine, zucchini, mixed greens and tiramisu.