FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 7, 2003 1:00 p.m.

Ton of Food; Ton of Fun

BARNES PLACE (ATLANTA, GEORGIA) - "You know it was a good time when you have to call a plumber to reinstall the toilet," said Director of Ambiance and Entertainment Timothy State. "We're not certain what happened there, but we are certain of one thing ­ we have a record number of canned goods collected for the Atlanta Community Food Bank."

In the first year with two bins, designed to hold 350 pounds of food (enough to provide 200 meals), guests brought enough food to fill three bins, which is approximately 1,000 pounds of food, or enough to make some 600 meals.

"It was a ton of food," said Director of Catering and Guest Relations Anthony Dornacher. "And, it was a ton of fun. We've had a lot of food before, but this just blows away any other year."

"We are always so moved at how our guest really get into the canned food drive aspect of the evening," said State. Some guests go all-out with their contributions. Some of the Co-directors favorite contributions: food brought in a Kérastase Paris hair care product bag; holiday ornaments adorning a food bag; the donation of Alaskan Pink Salmon.

Photos from the evening have been posted on-line at http://www.barnesplace.com/events/spamland/. Included are two photo series. The first, Sebastian Files, highlights Sebastian's first Holiday Lighting Ceremony. Despite the fact Sebastian is an infant, he clearly gets, absorbs and communicates the spirit that is Holiday Lighting Ceremony. This series is as moving as his cheeks are puffy. The second, Cocktail Action Shots capture the Holiday Lighting Ceremony in a manner never before celebrated. Upon conventional thought, it may appear that action shots at a cocktail party are not a possibility. But by channeling the energy that is Holiday Lighting Ceremony comes a collection of shots fluid with motion. What emerges is the raw and emotional beauty that is Holiday Lighting Ceremony.

The 12th Annual Holiday Lighting Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, December 4, 2004.

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