NIGHT OF SPECTACLES 2014

A FASHION EYE WEAR EVENT BENEFITING THE GEORGIA LIONS LIGHTHOUSE

FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://www.nightofspectacles.org/

By Liz Attaway

Spectacle Wishes and Eye Surgery Dreams.

On a stormy night in May, a few hundred people gather together for a lavish event that helps needy Georgians see. Women in ball gowns, men in tuxes, all dressed up to help their friends, family and strangers from all over Georgia.  This event is the annual Night of Spectacles and now in it’s seventh year, Georgia Lions Lighthouse has helped over 6,490 people in 2013 alone. This event raises money to provide eye services like exams, glasses, surgeries, screenings and even hearing aids to those who can’t afford them.  With silent auction, live auction, reverse auction, and a stunning fashion show there is plenty of room to open your heart and help your fellow Georgians.

 

The main event of Night of Spectacles is the fashion show. This year, SCAD, Clark Atlanta, and Georgia Southern fashion students competed for a $1000 scholarship to help them to realize their fashion dream. The winner of this year’s $1000 scholarship was Lily Johnson from Georgia Southern who had one of the most unique dress designs with over 300 eye glass pieces, while being edgy and different. This is her third year in the competition, and her attention detail, hard work, and overall unique design made her dress the clear winner for to the judges. As far as the other winner, the runner-up was Walter Dixon of Georgia Southern. Finally, another designer, Melanie Woodroffe, who is not a student was recognized as she creatively crafted a “steampunk” designed dress that incorporated a top hat and the classic Victorian era detail. My favorite dress was one that would be easily wearable with blue eye glasses down the front and a low back. It could be worn out on the town! I also liked the navy blue number with the open midriff and dangling clear eyewear. Another one was black with what I would describe as gold wings and adornment, as well as a princess ball gown with a long flowing pink train. The variety and imagination of the students was in full force this year and there wasn’t a bad dress in the house. Bravo!

 

I wanted to take a minute to talk about the judges as I was impressed with their pedigree! Starting with Julie Moran who is a Georgia native who went on to be a host on Entertainment Tonight! She is uniquely qualified for fashion as she covered numerous fashion events for her day job. There was also Sherie Nevett, who has her own clothing line called Sherie Nevett Designs. She was wearing a stunning white dress that was very fashion forward. The final judge is Jessica Black, the 2010 Miss United States and Georgia girl as well. It must have been an hour to win this competition with such forward thinking fashion icons!

 

On top of the spectacular fashion show, the silent auction included a variety of items from big items like Southwest Roundtrip tickets, to sunglasses, to gift cards for several restaurants and outings, to an autographed Cam Newton football, and even a wooden train. They were selling like hot cakes. After the silent auction closed, the live auction took center stage and was co-hosted by Georgia Franco. George Franco is a news anchor over at the local Fox Five News affiliate and seemed to really enjoy pumping up the crowd. Some of the items included a trip to Italy to stay in the Tucson son, as well as an African safari for the adventurous, even a beach vacation in Florida. After that, the reverse auction was probably the most lucrative of the donations as people gave from larger sums to smaller sums. One guy gave $50 per Lions member in the room, which was impressive. Everyone at our table gave during the reverse auction and seemed to move people to give. And let’s not forget the fabulous food catered by Soiree with little chicken salad sandwiches, prime rib, and cooked mixed vegetables. They even had a risotto bar where you could choose your toppings, which I had never seen before.

 

If you don’t know anything about the Georgia Lion’s Lighthouse more than what was mentioned above, know that on top of the people they have helped, the eye surgeries, and glasses, they also recycle eye wear and have volunteer opportunities open to the public in their eye clinic. Too many people desperately need help with their sight and before I started helping with Night of Spectacles years ago, I took for granted my eye sight. Now, I know how many lives Georgia Lion’s Lighthouse and the Night of Spectacles help all over the state and beyond. If you would like more information on the Georgia Lion’s Lighthouse go to their website: http://www.lionslighthouse.org/