The money was moving at the Lake Forest Symphony Guild’s annual black-tie gala last weekend-literally. The hit of the party, a dinner-dance auction held at Trustmark Insurance Co. in Lake Forest, was a Money Machine.
Donated for the evening by First Chicago of Lake Forest, the machine is a telephone-booth-sized glass box carpeted with dollar bills, a few 10s and even a 50. A $25 symphony donation gave a person 30 seconds inside the booth to grab all the loot he could. Easy, right? Not if air blows the bills around as soon as someone steps inside.
Asked if it was difficult, Terry Klein of Lake Forest, who came with wife Pat and two other couples, thought it was tough. “They slide through your fingers. But it’s fun,” he said.
His six-party group realized $180 on a $100 investment. But not all six played. “The women didn’t want to muss their hair,” Klein said.
The machine, which has drawn crowds at ChicagoFest and other charity functions, was making its first appearance at the symphony benefit.
“I wanted to do something special. And I thought, we use the machine at other charities, why not this?” said Mary Beth Jones, president of First Chicago-Lake Forest, which donated the $3,000 used in the booth.
Much of the booth winnings were turned back to the symphony, according to winners and guild members.
The big money was changing hands at the live auction. Maron Matz Hindman, an associate with Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, coaxed big bucks from the crowd, heavy with corporate VIPs and bankers. That is to be expected when underwriters include First Chicago, Lake Forest; Northern Trust, Lake Forest and Cole Taylor Banks. By the final figurative drop of the hammer and last-minute scratch of a pen, the live and silent auctions raised $80,000, about $5,000 more than last year.
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“I’m delighted,” said benefit chairwoman Jeanne Heider of Lake Forest. She attributed much of the success to acquisitions chairwoman Jo Terlato, also of Lake Forest. Among the hottest auction items Terlato offered were two opportunities to conduct the Lake Forest Symphony: at the annual 4th of July Concert on the Green and at the annual Christmas concert. The two items raised $8,600.
Bob Snyder of Lake Forest, who successfully bought the 4th of July concert, will turn it around for the benefit of another local cause he backs: Arden Shore Child and Family Services in Lake Bluff, a private, not-for-profit institution serving abused and neglected children.
“I bought it so a child at Arden Shore could have a chance to conduct,” said Snyder, an Arden Shore board member. “I thought it would be a great experience for the child,” he said.