By Megan Alley
Sun staff

The 10th annual Festival of Hope, a fundraiser to support the Hospice of Hope Ohio Valley, will take place Aug. 7 at the Clermont County Fairgrounds.

The festival, which is headlined by the musical group The Van-Dells, is organized by the Order of the Eastern Star District 22, an organization for men and women connected to the Masonic fraternity.

The day’s events will begin at 2 p.m. with a raffle, silent auction and book sale, all held in the pavilion next to the Multi-Purpose Building.

Raffle tickets are 25 cents each; the drawing is at 4 p.m.

The silent auction, which ends at 5 p.m., offers guests an opportunity to bid on more than 150 items, including restaurant gift certificates, handcrafted afghans, jellies and jams, art and a Cincinnati Reds baseball ticket package.

The book sale, which also ends at 5 p.m., includes more than 2,000 used books donated by chapter members.

Throughout the afternoon, event goers may purchase food from a sandwich booth set up by the chapter.

The chapter will hold a catered dinner at The Blue Ribbon Cafe from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets for the dinner are $10.

At 7 p.m., The Van-Dells, a 50s and 60s musical tribute group, will take the stage in the Multi- Purpose Building. Tickets for the show are $25 for preferred seating and $20 for general admission.

“The Van-Dells are a pretty well-known music group,” said Sandy Edmisten, who has co-chaired the event for the last nine years. “People come from other states to see this show; it’s a pretty big draw.”

Edmisten, who has been a chapter member for 54 years, said the festival has raised more than $100,000 for the Hospice of Hope.

“When we first started, we didn’t know exactly what would be popular; we tried all kinds of things,” she said. “Some of our events were drawing people and some weren’t; it wasn’t until the Van Dell’s that we found success.”

She added, “We have found a formula that is really working.”

The chapter chose the Hospice of Hope, a non-profit organization built on the philosophy that each person has the right to live in comfort with peace and dignity to the end so that those left living may find peace and solace, according to the organization’s website, as a beneficiary because it serves the area included in the chapter’s district.

“We were looking for a charity that we could help support,” Edmisten said.

Michael Parker, director of public relations and development for Hospice of Hope, located in Maysville, said the chapter is a well-run philanthropic organization that has been tremendously generous.

“The charitable dollars donated have been used exclusively for end-of-life care needs within our service area,” Parker said in an email. “We are extremely honored and proud that the Eastern Star organization chose Hospice of Hope as their charity of choice”.

Edmisten, who anticipates another successful event, encourages people of all ages to attend this year’s festival.

“There’s something for everybody; all ages would enjoy the day and being part of the festival,” she said, adding, “We’ve been averaging a fundraising amount of over $10,000 a year; I hope we can keep that up.”

Tickets for the dinner and show may be purchased at the event. To purchase tickets ahead of time, please call Barbara Ross at 513-625-2230.