Gala Will Transport Guests to Las Vegas

Please note: this event takes place at Saffron's Restaurant,
Fanshawe College, London Campus, 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd.
on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 6:00 p.m.

If you can't make it to the Coliseum in Las Vegas this weekend to see Bette Midler's live show, you might consider taking in "Fanshino", Fanshawe's Food and Beverage Gala.

The gala begins at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, March 28, 2009, at Saffron's Restaurant and features a number of Las Vegas stars, including the Divine Miss M., Céline Dion, Dolly Parton, Madonna and a back-from-the- grave version of Elvis Presley.

Second-year Food and Beverage Management student Jessica Carreiro, one of the organizers of the event said Saffron's is being made over to feel like Las Vegas, complete with show girls, roulette wheel, wedding chapel, gaming area, silent auction and slot machine. Carreiro said the $50-a-ticket event includes a five-course meal, a free drink and guests will be able to rub shoulders with servers playing the parts of Las Vegas headliners. The main stage will be shared between Bette Midler and Elvis Presley, although they won't be getting along for most of the night.

"Elvis has come up from the dead and taken over her (Midler's) show," Carreiro said. "Throughout the night there will be a lot of bickering between them then finally they start to get along."

Female guests receive a boa - a tribute to showgirls - and male guests get a crown symbolizing Elvis, the king of rock n' roll.

Carreiro said Food and Beverage students have been working since the beginning of the semester to raise funds for the gala. Items for the silent auction, which will be displayed in the lobby outside Saffron's, are donations from hotels, restaurants, other London businesses and private individuals.