Great Escape: “Tour the Block and Savor the Flavors”

You know how you and me and everyone else in our neighborhood – and seemingly everyone else's neighborhood for miles around – makes the weekly weekend shopping trip to the Hunt Valley Wegmans? We're all in there on Saturday or Sunday morning, jockeying for the last warm poppy seed bagel or trying to get a good angle on the bin of fresh green beans or checking out what's new and nifty in the seasonal merchandise section.

It's obvious that we all love this store, and we all seem to love it at the same time each week, making shopping a bit of a challenge. Sometimes there is just no time or extra elbow room in our busy schedules to fully enjoy the shopping experience, to really take in all that the store has to offer, to see the place as brand new again now that we are five years into our relationship with .

But this Saturday, April 9, we've been invited to a benefit at the store in the during off-peak hours, when we can leave our lists and unwieldy carts behind to enjoy a festive atmosphere and multi-course gourmet meal for a very good cause.

The “” event is a fundraiser for Build-A-Block, a student-led coalition of 16 area public and private schools. All proceeds from the $75 per person tickets will go toward the goal to raise $300,000 to rebuild six homes on a blighted block in the Baltimore’s McElderry Park community. The project is in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake and the coalition includes the Park School, , , Edmondson Vocational Technical High School, Mergenthaler Vocational Technical School, Carver Vocational Technical High School, , , , Independent School I, , Hereford High School, REACH!, , and Baltimore City College High School.

“Wegmans has opened its heart and the store’s upper level to Build-A-Block and Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, who together are working to renew Baltimore,” says Marla Hollandsworth, Build-A-Block coordinator. “We hope to sell every ticket because all proceeds go directly into the houses.”

The event runs from 7 to 10 p.m., and will feature live music performed by the Park and Friends schools’ jazz ensembles, and a silent auction including a week in Cabo San Lucas, dinner for six at Woodberry Kitchen, and Ravens and Orioles tickets. The menu has something for everybody from the Wegmans kitchen, including a selection of sushi, Momma's Rigatoni, crab cakes, a variety of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, a sampling of cheeses, beef tenderloin and delectable desserts such as Wegmans' Ultimate Cakes.

“Last year’s event was such a success that we got even more ambitious this year,” says Wegmans Hunt Valley store manager Wendy Webster. “We love partnering with Friends and Park schools and Habitat for Humanity on this project. Our goal is to raise $300,000 to help build six homes in Baltimore, and to have a lot of fun doing it. It’s going to be a terrific party.”

Last year's event sold out, and tickets are in short supply for this year's party, so head to the Wegmans service desk to buy your tickets now, or call 410-773-3900.