Fortnightly Club holds Holiday Luncheon at Twin Maples

The Fortnightly Club of Summit held its annual Holiday Luncheon at the historic Twin Maples estate in Summit, New Jersey on Thursday. Around 60 attendees mingled, shopped, and dined as The Continuo Arts Foundation's "Senior Sings" choral group entertained with a medley of holiday songs in the estate's neoclassical ballroom.

"It's festive and uplifting and gets you into a happy Christmas spirit", remarked event organizer Dina Rose. What a Dish, a boutique caterer based in Summit since 1996, treated guests to seasonal fare including leek powder coated filet mignon with whiskey Worcestershire and smashed Yukon gold potatoes with smoked paprika and Vermont cheddar.

Pereaux Interior Design, a family-owned business in Summit for over 45 years, adorned the estate's dining room with home decor accessories that were available for purchase. Items ranged from whimsical stone coasters to custom wreaths to blue and white antique vases. Hope Sferra of the Fortnightly Club said, “This year, we invited a vendor to sell a collection of gifts, and they generously agreed to give 20% of sales to our scholarship fund”.

The annual Holiday Luncheon is a fundraising event benefiting the club's philanthropic initiatives, which include the Twin Maples Historic Preservation Fund and The Fortnightly Club Scholarship Fund. Each spring, the club awards merit- and need-based college scholarships to young women who are graduating seniors from Summit High School. The 2017 Scholarship recipients were Kayla Balsley, attending University of Maine, Gabriella Mejia, attending Saint Peter's University, and Amanda Fonseca who is attending University of Delaware.

Like most of The Fortnightly Club meetings, the luncheon was open to members as well as non-members. Club president Terry Andrews said, "We are an ever-growing, ever-changing club and we're always looking for new members to help fulfill our projects."

Many of the luncheon attendees brought in new mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves to decorate the "Mitten Tree" that graced the front entry hall. "All will be donated to a local charity to help keep people warm this winter", explained club member Lori Dahl. She added, "It's like a warm winter handshake from the heart."

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The Fortnightly Club of Summit is a nonprofit women’s organization dedicated to volunteerism, fundraising, community service and outreach. Club members are a diverse group of professional women, stay-at-home moms and retirees from Summit, New Providence, Chatham, Short Hills and surrounding communities. The Fortnightly Club is accepting new members. To find out more, please visit www.fortnightlyclub.org.

Twin Maples is a historic estate on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places. It offers a gracious environment in which to hold meetings and special events and is available for rentals. Twin Maples is the headquarters for The Fortnightly Club of Summit and the Summit Junior Fortnightly Club. To learn more about Twin Maples, please visit www.twinmaplessummit.org.