Behind the Scenes with Susan Day

The Woman Behind a Vintage Affair's Spectacular Scenery

If you have ever been to A Vintage Affair’s Main Event, you know that the décor brings the room to life. What is even more amazing is what the décor is made from. For the last six years, there has been a woman behind all of the spectacular scenery at the Main Event, and her name is Susan Day. At any given moment, near event time, you can find Susan covered in red paint, hot glue or both! She works very hard to make sure the event theme comes to life, and to do that, she has to get very crafty. This year, she scoured Facebook Marketplace to find old cribs. What she is using those for is still a surprise, but you can rest assured that it is going to be amazing. I had the privilege of asking Susan a few questions, and here is what she had to say.

What made you want to start helping with A Vintage Affair, and how long have you been with them?

I have known Carrie Drury [AVA Director] for many years, and I knew her father [AVA Founder, Ralph Drury] as well. I thought what they were doing for our community was wonderful. This will be my sixth year to help with A Vintage Affair.

What makes A Vintage Affair so special to you?

My daughter, Georgia, and I work on this together, and I really enjoy that.  We are helping women and children in Williamson County.  Our county is so beautiful, and we have so much to offer, but there are also unrecognized needs. I work at Freedom Middle School, and A Vintage Affair provides funds to a few organizations that benefit some of our students. I am able to see, firsthand, how much good they are doing.

What keeps you coming back to help A Vintage Affair every year?

I love seeing the funds we were able to raise be distributed between the different organizations. Carrie and her board are so dedicated, and it is my pleasure to contribute in any way that I can. It is fun to have a new theme to work with each year. I have many helpers on the day of and the day before the event. Family, friends and board members are all at the ready. I couldn’t do it without Lauren Price's [A Vintage Affair Board Member] help.  I am not a super organized person or technologically savvy, so Lauren saves me.

Where does your creativity come from?

I am not a good sleeper, so instead of sleeping, my mind runs wild with ideas. We are limited by storage space, ability to transport and budget. We try not to spend very much, and we repurpose things from previous years. One year, we bought end-of-season, discounted tomato cages — painted them and bedazzled them to use as stands for some centerpieces. It is definitely time for thinking outside the box. I love, love, love a layered tablescape, but this event does not really lend itself to that since it is not a seated dinner and not everyone has a table.

What should we be on the lookout for at the upcoming Main Event in April?

Our theme this year is Under the Big Top. So, STEP RIGHT UP — This is our circus, and these are our monkeys. Come to the event and see what we have for you.

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If you want to see Susan’s work in person and support A Vintage Affair’s mission to generate revenue for their beneficiaries while creating an entertaining experience for their guests, buy tickets today at avintageaffair.org.