| The Poinsettia Soiree helps raise money to support the conservatory on Belle Isle. (PATRICIA BECK/Detroit Free Press) The annual open house and buffet is a fund-raiser for Detroit's 102-year-old Belle Isle conservatory, which will be decked in holiday lights. It reopened this week after being closed since August for repairs including a new hot-water heating system and new glass to fix cracked and broken panes. A $340,000 National Park Service grant and matching city funds paid for the $680,000 project. The Poinsettia Soiree will be 6-9 p.m. Dec. 10, with food and music, door prizes and a raffle. Reservations, which are required, must be received by Dec. 5. The donation is $45 per person. Contact the Belle Isle Botanical Society, 313-822-2548 or e-mail society president Jan Ellison at From raising money to weeding, the society supports the conservatory and grounds. Dues are $15 for an individual or $25 for a family until Jan. 1, when they will increase. The group's big fund-raisers are A Day in the Gardens and the ... read the whole article |