Citizens of Oxford participate in Square Toast last year. COURTESY: JEREMY ROBERTS
Tonight from 5 to 9 p.m. on the Square is the annual Square Toast for Scholarships. This fundraising event occurs every fall on a Thursday, and all of the proceeds from the event go to scholarships for students majoring in hospitality management.
Jeremy Roberts, instructor and coordinator of marketing and events for the Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, gave insight into what the night will bring.
“Square Toast for Scholarships is a walking food plus wine tasting event, and this will be year seven for the event,” Roberts said.
Roberts said the night will include guests arriving at the Lyric, exchanging their ticket for a wristband and wine glass, bidding on silent auction items, then exploring the other 27 venues involved in Square Toast for Scholarships 2014.
Guests will walk from venue to venue tasting and sampling various foods from restaurants and chefs from Oxford and the surrounding area and wines donated to the event by Mississippi Wine Brokers.
This year’s event has a theme of Winter Wonderland.
Roberts said that “guests will walk in The Lyric and hear holiday music, see holiday decor and a lot of friendly faces welcoming them to the event.”
Many different venues will be participating in Square Toast for Scholarships this year.
A few notable businesses include Holli’s Sweet Tooth with Sugaree’s Bakery, Endurance Athletics with Gatto Specialty Foods, JCG Apparel with Goose Creek Country Club, Proud Larry’s, Soulshine, South Depot and Pink & Proper with Taylor Grocery.
This event allows hospitality management students to participate in and help with the functioning of the event.
This year’s Square Toast for Scholarships was planned and is being operated by students in the NHM 312: Event Management class.
“They learn the fundamental principles of the event management industry throughout the semester and then work the event the day/night of to gain the hands-on, real world experience,” Roberts said. “Students sell tickets, obtain silent auction items, gather items for a travel package (for the auction) and work the event all throughout the semester.”
Endurance Athletics is one store that participates in the event each year to benefit the cause and gain publicity.
“We always like to participate because it is a good cause that raises scholarship money,” said Kevin McGhee, owner of Endurance Athletics. “Also, having our store open and getting people into the store that might not usually come is a good benefit of taking part each year. We love to take advantage of any chance to get new potential customers through the door to see who we are and what we do.”
Sophie Williamson, junior hospitality management major, will be participating in the event.
“I am so excited to be a part of Square Toast for Scholarships this year,” Williamson said. “I think that it is a great event that gives back to the Hospitality and Nutrition students benefiting the UM Foundation.”
The fundraising goal each year is $35,000, and those proceeds go to the scholarship endowment fund. Since the event’s inception, over $100,000 has been raised, and five scholarships have been awarded.
For more information about the different venues, what to expect or anything else related to Square Toast for Scholarships visit the website at www.olemiss.edu/squaretoast.
