Mina's Studio, Lark Home/Apparel and Purple Puddle -- all businesses at the Galleria on Elliott Road in Chapel Hill -- are inviting women to spend an evening celebrating women.

The event, "Healthy * Beautiful * At Our Best," will be held at The Franklin Hotel on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. The event will include a wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres.

Local women will model fall and winter fashions resented by Lark, a Chapel Hill boutique that offers casually elegant clothing and accessories.

The models' hair will be styled by Mina's Studio.

North Carolina author and columnist Celia Rivenbark, whose latest book is "Belle Weather: Mostly Sunny With a Chance of Scattered Hissy Fits," will be on hand to read excerpts.

All proceeds from the event will go to the UNC Center for Women's Health Research and the UNC Center for Women's Mood Disorders.

Tickets are $100 per person; $75 is tax deductible. Tickets are available at Lark Home Apparel or Mina's Studio, or by calling Lark at 933-3902 or Mina's at 968-8548.

Arc of Orange has ribbon-cutting

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce invites the public to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Arc of Orange County's new location at 208 North Columbia Street on Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m.

For information contact Pat Richardson at prichardson@arcoforange.org or 942-5119, ext. 116.

Cafe owner gives talk at conference

Scott Conary, owner of the Open Eye Cafe, Caffe Driade & Carrboro Coffee Company, spoke and taught at the inaugural Cafe Y Cultiva, in Marcala, Honduras.

The first-ever Denomination of Origin Certification, the Cafe Y Cultiva (Coffee & Culture) brought together farmers and locals from all aspects of the coffee industry to increase knowledge and understanding of coffee-specific techniques and education, as well as the history and culture of the people involved.

The event was highlighted by coffee tastings, daily seminars and hands-on training in coffee techniques and preparation, as well as nightly festivities such as plays and pageants highlighting the historical culture of the areas' people, including the famous Lenca natives and their prized pottery.

Conary served as an instructor by giving talks and hands-on demonstrations for this cultural event.

Dellinger joins local law firm

Hampton Dellinger, former legal counsel to Gov. Mike Easley and former deputy attorney general of North Carolina, has joined the recently established Chapel Hill law office of Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.

Dellinger, who finished second in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor last spring, will focus primarily on commercial litigation and regulatory issues.

Dellinger joins corporate attorney Jeffrey Hart, who recently moved to Chapel Hill from the firm's Charlotte office.

Hart's practice focuses on venture capital and private equity transactions.

Dellinger received his doctorate in law in 1993 from Yale University, where he served as a senior editor on the Yale Law Journal and his bachelor's degree with high honors, from the University of Michigan in 1989.

Dellinger has served as an adjunct faculty member at Duke University's School of Law.

Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson is a corporate and commercial law firm with over 130 attorneys.

The firm has offices in Charlotte, Chapel Hill and Rock Hill, S.C.