Carp_ cib_ et vin_! Friends and residents of Fountain Hill wined and dined at the Comfort Suites Hotel April 11 to raise money for the Fountain Hill playground and surrounding recreational area.

The Bacchanalia is an annual charity event whose sole purpose is to raise funds to benefit the Fountain Hill Playground and Recreation Improvement Fund.

"This is the 12th year we've done this," said Angela Sinkler, chief organizer and Fountain Hill committee member.

"We donate 100 percent of the money raised to the borough," she said.

Past committee contributions made possible the very popular toddler ride-on bee, ladybug, and snail added to the park last spring.

"The money we've raised has bought the slides at the pool and made it possible to add the handicapped access into the pool," Sinkler said.

This year, the committee is pleased to announce that after calculating donations from sponsors, Bacchanalia ticket sales, and additional fundraising, it will donate approximately $10,000 to the Fountain Hill Recreation Fund.

Recently, the committee engaged an engineer to draw up a master plan that includes short term and long-term improvements to the Fountain Hill recreational area, from the park to the pool, and the ballparks.

Eventually, the committee hopes to raise enough money to add a picnic area behind the lower baseball fields.

"I grew up here," Sinkler said, "and I spent all day at the parks. I wanted to give back."

Pauline Moser, a Hiller for nearly 60 years, was the afternoon's guest of honor. Although she's recently moved to Hanover Glen, the 89-year-old reminisced fondly about her time on the hill.

"I taught at Fountain Hill and Salisbury elementary schools for 29 years," said Moser, "and I also worked at the playground from 1958 to 1978.

"I knew a lot of kids, and saw a lot of kids grow up," she said. "It was a good neighborhood."After 20 years of playground monitoring, Moser passed her hat to Karen Redding, who's been running programs, supervising games, handing out supplies, and scolding any misbehaving children, since 1979.

You'll find Redding at the park once the summer programs start - as soon as the school bells ring one final time heralding the start of summer freedom.

Guests at the event enjoyed a variety of foods and wines donated by many local restaurants and businesses including Valley Farm Markets, Cactus Blue Mexican Restaurant, Molly's Irish Grille & Sports Pub, Blue Sky Café, Yianni's Taverna, Full of Crepe, The Other Fish, Voracious, The Bayou, Saranda's On Broadway, The Brick, Sugar Babe Cupcakes, Ivory Poinsettia, and N.T. McCarley BBQ.

The Fountain Hill Bacchanalia Committee also expressed a special appreciation to the family of Don Cerrato, sponsors of the event in Cerrato's honor.

Additional sponsors that made this event possible included the Fountain Hill Playground Alumni; Broughal & DeVito, L.L.P. Law Offices; Mike & Maryann Kipila; Embassy Bank; Bob and Faith Spirk & Family; Styles on Broadway; Jeff, Carmen, Pat & Colette Ferry; King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul LLC; Paul's Garage; Joe Hoffmeier; Friedman's Service Center; Cantelmi Funeral Home; Fountain Hill Hose Company; Norman E. Blatt Jr., Esquire; GCFK Insurance; Macri & Associates; Townsend Insurance Agency; Republican Club of Fountain Hill; Architectural Stone & Stucco Products; Augello Construction; Augello Chiropractic; Matthew Starr, Realtor, Keller Williams; Fountain hill Exchange Club; and Fountain Hill Democratic Association.