"Will the Circle Be Unbroken," this year's raffle kickoff event benefitting the students of the Georgia Pick & Bow Traditional Music School, will be held Sunday, Nov. 13, at The Crimson Moon Café in Dahlonega.
Scheduled from 7-9 p.m., the event will feature music from a Dahlonega favorite group, The Rosin Sisters, and the Georgia Pick & Bow Band. Admission for the event is $12 for tickets purchased in advance and $14 for those purchased on the day of the show. Reservations for the event can be made at www.thecrimsonmoon.com or by calling 1-877-548-3237.
The item featured in this year's raffle is an 18-karat gold diamond ring with exquisite filigree handcrafted by the renowned Whitehouse Brothers, a jewelry company famous for its unique designs. It was commissioned by its donor, who has asked to remain anonymous and who is also a jeweler and former Ranger instructor at Camp Merrill.
The ring is described by the donor as an 18-karat yellow gold with exquisite filigree and hand engraved in the Victorian motif. The ring is new, but the design is from “old world” jewelry traditions of 1900 England. Whitehouse Brothers Company has been in business since 1898 and is still producing fine hand engraved rings with the same care and expertise as they did over 100 years ago. The center diamond weighs .51 carat with a color grade of I and a clarity of SI-2. There are six additional round brilliant cut diamonds totaling .17 carat. The ring has an estimated retail value $4,600.
"I donated this ring to the Georgia Pick & Bow Traditional Music School because of my strong connection to Dahlonega," said the donor. "Forty years ago, I lived in Lumpkin County as a U.S. Army Ranger (Airborne). I was an instructor at the Ranger Camp and a Vietnam veteran. I fell in love with the mountains, the people, and the culture. I made some incredible friendships and developed a lifelong love and an appreciation for mountain music. When I learned of Georgia Pick & Bow through the Georgia Appalachian Studies Center, I was intrigued by the community’s efforts to preserve this great legacy of traditional music that is genuinely American.
"The donation of the ring is my 'thank you' and evidence of my support of the Georgia Pick & Bow mission. I salute you for establishing and maintaining a program like this. I am not providing this gift for any personal accolades but simply to say thanks for what you are doing to enhance and preserve a true art of the mountains."
The drawing for the winning raffle ticket will be held on Sunday, April 22, 2012, at 4:15 p.m., just prior to the closing concert of the 16th annual Bear on the Square Mountain Festival in Dahlonega. The winner is not required to be present.
Raffle tickets are $10 each or three for $25. All proceeds will support the Georgia Pick & Bow traditional music program for children. More information about the Pick & Bow program and the raffle, which is the program's major fund-raiser of the year, can be found at www.GeorgiaPickandBow.org. The Rosin Sisters' website address is www.rosinsisters.com.
