Looking Back at Edible Lotus

Thanks to all who came together to raise $14,000 for the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival and for Lotus Blossoms educational outreach! The night was cold, but the camaraderie was warm, and more than 100 Lotus fans and friends came to the beautiful confines of Deer Park Manor to sample great food, beer, and wine, and bid on more than 130 beautiful and unique auction items.

In addition to buying tickets, “auction action” was crucial to the night’s success. “Every bid helps fund essentials like festival tents and lighting, or the buses we provide, at no cost to schools, to get kids from all over Monroe County to the Lotus Blossoms World Bazaar,” says Executive Director Sunni Fass. “In addition, the programs that we’re proud to offer free to the public – like arts workshops, performances at the Monroe County Library, and all of Lotus in the Park – aren’t really free to produce. Attendees at Edible Lotus, are, in effect, important underwriters of those significant costs.”
While the unseasonably cool weather derailed outdoor music at Lee’s Listening Lounge, the new Lotus Friendship Flag make-and-take station was going strong all evening. Staff member LuAnne Holladay guided guests in using hand-made printing blocks to create designs. First in line: Josie and Joseph, who were on hand representing the Chocolate Moose. Before delivering some of the Grasshopper Oreo ice cream to LuAnne, they each made a flag.

“At this year’s Lotus Blossoms World Bazaar, we discovered just how much fun kids had making designs with printing blocks,” LuAnne says. “By scaling up the activity slightly for grown-ups, we added a little corner of Lotus visual arts to our annual benefit. Some people made flags for their friends or their children. Some just wore them out the door.”

Lotus staff and board members owe a big thank-you to all of our Edible Lotus attendees and volunteers, and to the generous restaurants and auction donors (listed below) who made the evening possible.

Restaurants

Bloomingfoods • BLU Boy Chocolates • Bombay Café
Chocolate Moose • Food Works for Middle Way House
Indiana Memorial Union Catering • Juannita’s
La Torre Restaurante Mexican • Lennie’s • Malibu Grill • Max’s Place
Nick’s English Hut • One World Catering • Piccoli Dolci
Restaurant Tallent • Samira’s Restaurant • Sweet Claire’s Bakery
The Irish Lion • The Rail • Trojan Horse • Uptown Café

Auction Donors

Absolute Electric & Maintenance, LLC • Actors Theatre of Louisville
Kathy Aiken • Bandana Pottery • Mary Clare Bauman • Beri Bee Designs
Sachin Bhangade • Bloomingfoods • Bloomington Clay Studio
Bloomington Playwrights Project • Cindy Blorstad • Boomerang Hair
Ruth & Doug Boshkoff • Brewers of Indiana Guild • Jo Burgess
Duane Busick • Angela Caldwell • Cardinal Stage Company
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis • Cincinnati Reds
Columbus Indiana Visitors Center
Dats Cajun Creole Café • Downtown Bloomington, Inc.
Doug & Samantha Eibling • J&M Fitzgerald Family
Kathy Hahn Fowles • French Lick Resort
Grant Street Inn • Grazie! Italian Eatery • The Green Nursery
Linda Handelsman • Heartland Family Farm • Hoosier Heights Climbing
Bill & LuAnne Holladay • Brandi Host • Deb Hutton
Indiana Festival Theater • Indianapolis Museum of Art • IU Theatre
Diane Jung • Kaia • Judy Klein, MD
Tamara Loewenthal • George M. Malacinski & Kirstine Lindemann
Kip May Photography • Mary McCarty, CAbi Consultant • Nick McGill
Mlostphoto • Moda Industria • Mr. Copy • Patty Muller • Janavi Nigudkar
Sarabeth Noggle • Sarah & David Noggle • No Coast Reserve • Joshua Perry
Piace Boutique • Pygmalion’s Art Supplies • Laura Plummer • Rainbow Bakery
Jessica Reed • Relish • Restaurant Tallent • Ann Schertz Photography
Scholars Inn • Dotty Sharp • Kristina Simmonds • Snorkel Mart
Spaah! • Stone Belt Arc • Studio AMF • Textillery Weavers
Marc Tschida • Topo’s 403 • Upland Brewing Compmany • Katie Vernon
White Violet Eco Justice Center
WonderLab • Susan Yeley Interiors • Yoga Mala

Photo captions, from top: Lotus puzzle, photo by Marc Tschida; Edible Lotus dining hall, photo by Garrett J. Poortinga, Green Hat Photography; Lotus friendship flag makers, staff photos; Edible Lotus restaurant thank-you; Garrett J. Poortinga, Green Hat Photography 2014; Edible Lotus program, staff photo.