From cupcakes to New Year’s Eve, themes abound at the annual “Tour of Tables,” an event organized by the Dell Rapids Area Ministerial Association (DRAMA) and the local chapter of ESA to benefit people in need in the community.

The annual “Tour of Tables” event will be held March 3, opening at 10 a.m., with a luncheon at 11:30 a.m., at the parish hall at St. Mary Catholic Church.

Members are inviting any groups, families or friends to participate by hosting or sponsoring a table setting, with a cost of $15 to decorate a table.

This is ESA’s fifth year as part of the Tour of Tables, and event co-organizer Lori Morris said it has pretty good support, averaging 25 tables decorated per year.

“It’s pretty well-received,” she said. “It’s really a fun way to get ladies together. They’re so creative in the tables they do.”

Each year, the event is marked by a guest speaker. Last year’s was the director of nursing from Southeast Technical Institute in Sioux Falls.

This year, ESA has invited South Dakota First Lady Linda Daugaard to speak at the event. According to event co-organizer Joline Dunbar, she will be speaking about the benefits of living in a small community, as well as the importance of reading and family.

“Linda is a local, so she is part of our community,” Dunbar said. “She sees the value of this to a community and its members.”

In addition to speaking, Daugaard will be doing a table setting, which will include dishes and settings from the governor’s mansion.

Proceeds from the event will go to DRAMA’s Families in Need Fund, which assists local people who are in a bind for paying for anything from heating to bills to groceries, according to Morris. “Any family in the community that is in need of any kind of assistance can call DRAMA,” she said. “If you feel blessed yourself, it’s just one easy way to give back to the community.”

Dunbar said that a fund like this is something needed no matter what the size of a town. “It doesn’t matter how big your community is or where your economy’s at,” she said. “It’s a generous community. People see that’s a good thing to do. I think that anything that the community can do to come together and help the families in need is good.”

Tables are on a space-available basis, with an estimated maximum of 28, so Dunbar encourages interested people to sign up quickly. Feb. 15 is the ideal deadline for sign-up. “It’s filling quickly, and we hope it maxes out,” Dunbar said.

Those interested in attending the event but not interested in decorating a table can contact Dunbar about being a part of the Tour of Tables. For more information, contact Dunbar at 428-0196 or Joline.Dunbar@k12.sd.us, or Morris at 428-4884.