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As any reader of canonical literature (Oedipus Rex or King Lear) knows, a character’s loss of sight often results in a new-found self-awareness—clarity ironically engendered by a lack of vision. Purposely blocking out one sense to bring about greater understanding has been a mission of Dining in the Dark, an event that offers guests “a unique sensory awareness experience”: what it’s like to be blind.
On February 6, guests can partake in such an experience at the 5th Annual St. Louis Dining in the Dark, benefitting Foundation Fighting Blindness, a non-profit that promotes sight-saving research. While dining, guests will wear light-blocking masks, which will force them to rely on smell, taste, hearing, and touch as they eat their entrees.
In addition to gaining a new understanding of blindness, attendees will also witness Matt Holliday, St. Louis Cardinals left fielder, and Bob O’Loughlin, chairman and CEO of Lodging Hospitality Management, receive the foundation’s Visionary Award. Senior Vice President and GM of the Cardinals, John Mozeliak, who serves as a national trustee for the foundation, will also attend as the Honorary Chair.
According to the press release, the event’s co-chair, Wildwood resident Jason Morris, said, “We’re thrilled to recognize the accomplishments of Bob O’Loughlin and Matt Holliday, two well-respected members of the St. Louis community, as we support cutting-edge research that has already restored some vision in patients. We have great hope that treatments and cures are in sight.”
Morris’s use of the expression “in sight,” intended or not, suggests how easily references to sight and metaphors of vision slip into our language, how much we rely on the sense, literally and figuratively. Only by putting ourselves into that physical state of blindness can we gain understanding—an understanding that reaches beyond the physical. What better way to do so than at a party with good food, deserving honorees, and a worthy cause?
Individual tickets for Dining in the Dark are $250 and sponsorships begin at $2,500. For ticket and sponsorship information, contact Rachel Ray at RRay@FightBlindness.org, call 847-680-0100, or click here.
