By Danielle Smith

Leader Staff Writer

Get ready for your palates to be put on overdrive as you taste a vast array of wines, beer and food at the 13th Annual Friends Flavor Fest on Thursday, Oct. 17. This extravagant evening, hosted by the Friends of the Addison Township Public Library, will take place at the Buhl Estate at Addison Oaks, located at 1480 W. Romeo Rd in Leonard.

“The event brings people together…and for me, it’s a chance to embrace the people who come to support the library,” said Library Director Jaema Berman.

Along with the food and beverages, guests can browse the auction tables while being serenaded by live music. Past auction items included plane rides, sports memorabilia from major Detroit sports teams, as well as items that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

While Friends Flavor Fest is a time to socialize in an elegant environment, the greater purpose of the event is to raise money for the Addison Township Library and the programs it hosts.

Charlene Sutherby, Friends of the Library president, said, “Friends of the Library is a group and their whole mission is to support the Library. They put on this event every year and give the bulk of the proceeds to the library for their new building.”

The building Sutherby referenced is the library’s future home: a 5,000-square-foot facility to be built on Rochester Rd. between Milmine Rd. and Cantley St.

“We have demonstrated to the public that our library needs more space for programming. Our programs this year were highly attended and have been over the last eight years,” Berman said.

Since 2011, when Berman started at the library, more than 100 programs have been hosted each year there. This new library will allow Berman and her staff to provide more room for the children’s department and create space for quiet study, storage and other programs that the current library can’t hold.

“We are growing the opportunity to provide more exciting, interactive events for the community,” Berman said. The new library will also have a back patio which Berman thinks is “an extraordinary opportunity to have outdoor events as well as indoor events in a really gorgeous, landscaped environment.”

Berman said the library is three quarters of the way to its funding goal, so she hopes the event “will take us to the top.”

Friends Flavor Fest tickets can be purchased via cash or check at the Addison Township Public Library until Friday, Oct. 4, located at 1400 Rochester Rd. in Lakeville. The $35 ticket provides guests with their beverage and a full buffet meal. The event is open to the public 21 years and older.

“I feel people get a sense of being treated to a top notch evening on the town as well as a chance to meet their neighbors,” Berman said. “It feels extremely special, extremely well thought out and it’s just a real upscale, festive event for the whole community.”