SML Home Tour Gala and  Auction Report
By Andie Gibson

     More than 400 lake-area residents danced and dined in style on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the 2002 Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour Gala, which took place at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center.
     “Stars and Hearts for Charity” was the theme for this year’s event, which was organized by Connie Monroe. She explained that the stars represent the homeowners and sponsors and the hearts symbolize the many volunteers who work to make the event a success.
     The Gala honors the 10 couples that will open their homes Oct. 4-6 for the 12th Annual SML Charity Home Tour. It’s also a way to recognize the major sponsors of the event, which raises money for eight area charities.
     The black-tie optional event featured a seated dinner of filet mignon and crab-stuffed shrimp, entertainment by the G.T. Swing Band and live and silent auctions.
     “We had more auction items and better quality items than ever before,” said Monroe, who was in her third and final year as Gala Administrator. “We had over $90,000 in retail items.”
     Always popular in the auctions are trips to varied locales. This year’s destinations included Key Largo, Florida, Keystone, Colorado, and New York City. Another package offered a trip to Indianapolis and tickets to the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race.
     Also included in the auction were jewelry, golf packages, a mink jacket, a handmade quilt, original and print artwork, furniture, a gas grill, food and entertainment gift certificates and beauty packages.
     For more information on the Home Tour, call 297-TOUR or visit SMLCharityHomeTour.com.