If you have a daughter between the ages of two and twelve, it's a good bet that you are familiar with the American Girl empire. Before my daughters could speak, before they knew what a doll was or had any inclination to play with one, those ubiquitous American Girl catalogs started creeping into our mailbox. And now we're on a first name basis with Girl of the Year McKenna, plucky Depression heroine Kit Kittredge, and the newest girl, Caroline Abbott, growing up during the War of 1812.
You still have time to delight your American Girl fan with tickets to the American Girl Fashion Show, a program that benefits the Kosair Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. A limited number of tickets are still available for shows on Saturday, October 13 and Sunday, October 14 at 12:00 and 4:00 pm. For $35 per ticket, your little lady will enjoy her tea at the swanky Seelbach Hilton Hotel and ogle over models—and their dolls, of course—wearing historical and contemporary fashions. Upgrade to runway seating, where your child can sit at the front of the stage, for an extra ten dollars. A professional photographer will be available to capture your fashionista on film, and souvenirs are also available for purchase.
If you haven't made the pilgrimage to American Girl Place in Chicago, you can buy a $20 raffle ticket and have a chance to win airfare and two nights' accommodation for four as well as a $200 gift card and a dining experience at the Michigan Avenue landmark. (I haven't taken my girls there, but after a recent trip to Chicago, I saw gaggles of giddy girls carrying the trademark red bag and concluded that doll enthusiasts enter American Girl Place with the same jubilation and reverence as does a lifelong Red Sox fan entering Fenway for the first time.) Only 750 tickets are sold, so this may be your best shot.
Tickets to the fashion show and tea are available by visiting www.HelpKosairChildrensHospital.com or by calling (502) 629-KIDS.
Photos: Seelbachhilton.com/Courtney Gatti
