The Warren Coalition staff and Let’s Get Cheesy Committee faced their fair share of challenges leading up to their fundraiser, held on Friday June 6th at the North Warren Celebration Hall. During the week, unforeseen circumstances took the Coalition website down, but the staff cheerfully blamed cheese-seeking mice and borrowed the incredible block-built cat “Hobbes” from Play Favorites. Minor issues related to lighting and cooking were overcome fairly easily on Friday. But when Mother Nature brought a vicious storm through right before the event began, taking down a large tree that then blocked Rockland Court for over an hour—well, that challenge wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card.

Executive Director Christa Shifflett studies the tree blocking the road.

Fortunately, no one was hurt, and everything that needed to be in place for the event to happen was already at the fire hall. A few of the guests had even made it to the event before the tree came down. After waiting a while for the tree to be cleared, some ticket holders chose to give up and headed home or to a nearby restaurant to wait. However, most persevered, parking along the road and then traipsing around the tree (in the soaking wet grass) to the fire hall.

The charcuterie table, created by Julia Laurent with cheese donated by Happy Creek Cheeses and Dusty’s Country Store, was a huge hit. Hobbes the cat from Play Favorites guarded the cheese from sneaky mice.

Despite the soggy and potentially frustrating circumstances, the atmosphere was festive, and guests seemed delighted by the gorgeous charcuterie table, with cheeses from Happy Creek Cheeses and Dusty’s Country Store being guarded by Hobbes. Comfort food such as Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay biscuits, chicken and cheese empañadas from Garcia and Gavino, French mac and cheese from Savour by CRUSH, and lasagna from Anthony’s turned out to be the perfect menu for the wet, windy evening. The main course was rounded out by cheesy green bean casserole, seafood pizza, and Caesar salad provided by the Coalition. Cheesecake nachos from On Cue, cheesecake ice cream from C & C Frozen Treats, and cheesecake-filled strawberries graced the dessert table in turn. At the end of the night, after the votes were counted, the “Crowd Favorite” was the cheesecake ice cream from C& C Frozen Treats!

Guests were asked to vote for their favorite cheesy dish of the night. The winner was cheesecake ice cream donated by C & C Frozen Treats. In this photo, owners William and Nina Huck pose with The Golden Cheese Award. 

The guests, totaling 50 people, were encouraged to participate in crazy games, and while many preferred to watch rather than play, they all seemed to have a good time. One guest asserted that one of the games should come with a warning. “I laughed so hard I spit out my ice cream!” he complained good-naturedly.

The festivities were enhanced by the cheesy tunes from DJ Harold Chunn, the comedic commentary provided by M.C. Pam Foster, and a fun cheesy photo booth provided by In the Moment Photo Booth.

Among the many games played was “The Quiet Game.” Players wore shoe covers (provided by Aire Serv) with rubber chickens inside, and had to avoid being tagged by the blind-folded “Long John Silver” (played by Kevin Brooks), who relied heavily on guidance from DJ Harold Chunn. 

Thanks to the combination of a 50/50 raffle, auctions, sponsorships and ticket sales, Executive Director Christa Shifflett announced the net profit was about $5,700.

“Because this was a first-time event, we set our goal at $5,000, so we’re thrilled that we exceeded that,” she said. She added that the funds are going to the Coalition’s children’s programs: Project COURAGE, which equips kids to overcome trauma; HALO Read, the affiliate program of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library providing free books to kids aged 0-4; and various resilience-building events for youth and families.

One of the games was a four-person competition to build a structure with blocks in under three minutes. The attendees cast their ballots for their favorite, with Kay Schroyer, second from left, taking home the prize of a $25 gift card from The Vine & Leaf.

“We couldn’t have reached our goal without the support of many businesses and individuals,” Shifflett said. “We are thankful for each and every one of them.” Those sponsors and supporters included:

“Rind Sponsors” ($500):
Jen Avery of Crum Realty, Inc.
Ellen Aders, State Farm Insurance
Warren County Veterinary Clinic
The Recovery Connection
Struckmann, White & Wisely PC

Wheel Sponsors ($250):
Harmony Hike
Auto Care Clinic, Inc.

Slice Sponsors ($100):
Charlie’s Auto Repair
Red Light Culinary Studio

Food Provided by:
Anthony’s Pizza
C & C Frozen Treats
Dusty’s Country Store
Garcia & Gavino
Happy Creek Cheeses
On Cue
Red Lobster
Savour by CRUSH

In-Kind Donations/Auction Items:
Aire Serv
Krista Beahm
Celeste & Kevin Brooks
Crush Wine Bar
Jeff Seese and Chelsey Foster (Chester Gap Cellars)
Front Royal Wines
Amanda and Whiticar Darvills (Fox Meadows Winery)
Holly Goode
Glen Manor Vineyards
Debbie Grove
Joyce Jenkins-Wimmer
Denise Hackney
Lori Howard
In the Moment Photo Booth
Tonia Meyer
Randy & Megan Morgan (Naked Mountain Winery & Vineyards)
Our Community Co-op Marketing
Lisa Parker
John Delmare, Kelly Knight, and Teres Delmare (Rappahannock Cellars)
Shelly Cook (Reitano Vineyards)
Gary & Elaine Roland
Shenandoah Caverns/American Celebration on Parade
Melissa Simmons
Skyline Caverns
Kay Schroyer
Christa Shifflett
Michelle Smeltzer
Stokes General Store
Target Corporation
The Vine & Leaf
White Picket Fence

A wrap-up meeting and follow-up survey to attendees confirmed: “Let’s Get Cheesy” will return in 2026!

Warren Coalition Executive Director Christa Shifflett wore a cheesy costume to help set the tone for the evening, which was designed to provide light-hearted, engaging fun along with delicious food. 

Warren Coalition is a 501(c)3 established in 1994 to help fill the gaps in health care and substance misuse awareness to the community. It began under the guidance of Warren Memorial Hospital as an outreach project, but it has since grown and was incorporated in 2001.  The office is currently located in the Warren County Community Center.  Their mission is to make Warren County a safe, healthy, and drug free community through many programs and in collaboration with 15+ member agencies.

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