According to the invitation, guests were supposed to view the sunset over the Mississippi River at 7:17 p.m. at the "Forging on the River XVI" auction Saturday at the National Ornamental Metal Museum.

Clouds blotted out the sun, temperatures were chilly and the wind was fierce, but guests celebrated spring anyway as they bid on metal work, which included several utilitarian pieces such as a wall rack, jewelry box and a forged iron fork and spatula for barbecuing.

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River Bluff Forge Council's "Forging on the River" is a conference for metalsmiths and blacksmiths, said Carissa Hussong, museum director. The participants mainly took part in the auction in previous years, but this year the museum wanted to open it up to the public to "see if we can bring more people down here and have a good time."

Before the live auction began, museum intern Jacob Brown continued the tradition begun by blacksmith Charlie McKinney of all guests sharing a drink of whisky from the same fruit jar.

Jake began his toast: "Tonight, I'd like everybody to think good thoughts and pass on some good will and goodness toward Charlie and to remember that family is a very important thing."

All proceeds from the event will go to the museum.

See the video on Appeal TV on this site.

Taste of DeSoto, farther north

The fifth annual "Tim Mote Taste of DeSoto" featured cuisine from Mississippi restaurants, and a taste of Tennessee, too.

The benefit last week for the American Liver Foundation offered food from Memphis restaurants, including Central BBQ's barbecue nachos.

Tickets were $30 each. "It's a low-key, inexpensive way to have fun," said Deri Whitaker with the American Liver Foundation.

To a background of music by the Main Street Jazz Orchestra, guests dined on everything from fried Oreo cookies at Commerce Street Cafe to bison tenderloin with cognac pepper cream sauce at Mesquite Grill.

The food stations circled the spacious Arena at Southaven. "You get exercise," said Don Breshears. "You can eat more if you're walking."

Jock Marx, general manager from Huey's in Southaven, conducted a contest at his booth; two paper plates with faces on them depicted Southaven mayoral candidates Greg Davis and Mitch Wright. Guests were invited to shoot toothpicks through a straw Huey's style at the "face" of the man they wanted to win. "Who you love -- that's where it's going," Jock said.

Fired up for St. Jude

Danny Thomas loved a good stogie, so a cigar tasting was a fitting occasion to raise money for the hospital he founded -- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The guests gathered at the all-gentlemen's Founder's Dinner for cigars, wine and an Italian buffet March 22 at Elfo's restaurant in Germantown.

The late entertainer liked Monte Cristo cigars, recalled his friend, George Gattas, one of the guests.

Dinner included tuna carpaccio, lasagna and four-cheese ravioli with Gino sauce. The desserts were mini cannolis, key lime and tiramisu cups.

Joan Matthews, special events consultant for ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, helped organize the fundraiser, now in its second year.

"We needed to do something big for St. Jude," she said.

Wine tasting with a twist

The Great Wine Performances, a fundraiser for Playhouse on the Square/Circuit Playhouse, had a new take on wine tasting: Characters from 10 plays presented the wines, and it was up to participants to guess the character and which play he or she was in.

It was a challenge for Playhouse supporters who were busy last Tuesday evening writing down their best guesses. One of the easier ones had to have been Evita from "Evita," but you had to be a pretty faithful attendee to nail all 10 without help.

June Burnette is about as diligent a patron as there is, and even she needed some help. She describes herself as an extremely faithful theatergoer, "but I have short-term memory," she cracked, "so I had to buy a few clues, but that's the name of the game tonight -- it's a fundraiser!"

"It's a totally different take on wine tasting where you usually have some boring guy describing all this stuff about the wine," said Jackie Nichols, executive producer and founder of Playhouse. "This one is described by various actors."

Actor Michael Detroit, Playhouse associate producer and exemplary as a wine-loving Satan from "Jerry Springer: The Opera," broadly referred to the Australian wine as "from down ... under."

Bill Andrews reprised his role as "Urinetown's" narrator, Officer Lockstock, in offering mellifluous commentary on his Lumina pinot grigio.

After all the ballots were tabulated, the winners included Burnette, who got a painting of the Playhouse building by Judy Little.

See the video on Appeal TV on this site.

-- Jon W. Sparks

Contact Michael Donahue at 529-2797 or e-mail donahue@commercialappeal.com