The third annual "Wine, Dine and Win" fundraiser event for California Progress, Inc. (CPI) is April 27. Tickets for the event are available by contacting any CPI Board member or by calling 573-796-4071.
The event includes a prime rib dinner catered by Burl Lutz and is a "Big Bucks" style event with winning tickets selected for various cash amounts, a silent auction, live auction and "50/50" tickets.
Held at Braykley Hall, Centertown, this event is the main fundraiser of the year for the CPI, an active, working 501(c)3 corporation. Even though the current project of restoration of the Finke Theatre is winding down, CPI still has need of funds to carry on current operations, pay insurance and other expenses for the theater as well as search for another worthwhile restoration project. Ownership of the theater will be turned over to the Friends of the Finke in less than two years.
In addition to looking for a project to take on once the theater is under other ownership, CPI has agreed to be the organization Missouri Main Street Connection will work through. Since CPI is already a 501(c)3 corporation with a 23-year history of historic building restoration, the California City Council has agreed this is the organization for MMSC to work with.
CPI has built a well-deserved reputation for restoration of historic buildings in the city. Among the completed CPI projects, many of which were assisted through the Missouri Neighborhood Assistance Program Tax Credits, are the Moniteau County Historical Society building (the old post office), Wood Place Library (the old Ehrhardt building) and Smith-Burke Park (former site of the old Central Hotel).