By Dale King and Julia Hebert
BOCA RATON – The weather wasn’t ideal the night of Friday, Sept. 21, but more than 100 trolley “tourists” enjoyed visiting area restaurants and tasting specially prepared food and drink during the Boca Raton Historical Society’s second annual Toasts, Tastes & Trolleys fund-raiser.
The crowd gathered for a champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception at the Boca Raton Resort & Club’s Beach Club at 900 South Ocean Boulevard. They then boarded trolleys that embarked to the Spaniard Restaurant in Boca Raton, 50 Ocean atop Boston’s in Delray Beach and then back to Mizner Park in Boca Raton, where the “tourists” visited two adjoining eating and drinking places, the Dubliner and Kapow. The evening concluded at the Beach Club with dessert and dancing.
Mother Nature rained on the trolley parade as it left the Beach Club, but the precipitation finally ebbed, making way for some high humidity. The trolleys, however, were equipped with cold beverages for the tour.
Committee members spent the summer working on this event to ensure a variety of restaurants and scenes. The committee was chaired by Dawn Zook and Lindy Harvey, and members included: Denise Alman, Lisa Vander Ploeg, Kathy Qualman, Elizabeth Ragland, and Diane Robertson.
“Toasts, Tastes & Trolleys provided a wonderful opportunity for a group of friends to get together. Everyone enjoyed the camaraderie and special food and drinks at each location. And the fun benefits the Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum,” stated Mary Csar, its executive director.
Event sponsors included Madelyn Savarick, who sponsored two trolleys in honor of her 89th birthday; the Boca Raton Resort & Club, E.M. Lynn Foundation, 1st United Bank, George Brown and Linda Davidson, Robert G. Campbell, Fairman & Associates, Florida IBM Club, Vander Ploeg & Associates, Dr. and Mrs. Steven Alman, Flossy Keesely, Paradise Bank, and Rick and Kathy Qualman.
Toasts, Tastes & Trolleys is the Historical Society’s major fall fundraiser. Proceeds will fund its programs for the community: children’s history programs, history tours and lectures, care of the historic collections, historic preservation efforts in the community and the maintenance and repair of Town Hall, the F.E.C. Railway Station, Count de Hoernle Pavilion and the rail cars of the Boca Express Train Museum.