The Capital City Ball

Pamela Brehm, Bruce Fries, John Dunford, and Tanya Sabel (Photo by Samantha Strauss)

A group of generous donors attended this ever-elegant formal affair at the Washington Club, where proceeds benefited anti-human trafficking organizations Innocents at Risk, Polaris Project, and The Emancipation Network. Guests enjoyed dinner and a silent auction that featured original artwork, restaurant meals, and tickets to sporting events before moving to the dance floor to enjoy the sounds of the nine-piece dance and show band Bittersweet. THE SUPPORTERS: Co-chairmen John Dunford, Bruce Fries, and Deborah Sigmund; Executive Committee members Pamela Brehm, Michele Lebar, Tanya Lynn Sabel, Liz Sara, Tayler Wilhelm and Quin Woodward Pu.

Brian Addison, Benita Jenkins, Ashton Kunkle, and Zmarak Khan. Photo by Samantha Strauss

Lynda Webster serves coffee to the ladies and the Killions prepare to return to the City of Light.

By Donna Shor

David and Kristin Killion (left) with hosts Ray and Shaista Mamood

Guests at Lynda Webster’s annual coffee klatch at the Chevy Chase Club look forward to renewing ties and renewing ties after summer’s hiatus. Seen: Vicki Sant, Jan Donaldson, Nini Ferguson, Alexine Jackson, Wilma Bernstein, Evelyn DiBona, Bitsey Folger, Marion Rosenthal, and WWD’s Susan Watters.

Sonya Bernhardt, the owner of The Georgetowner and The Downtowner was there, as was Beth Solomon, who has just been named executive editor of both publications. Pam Kessler was being congratulated on her husband Ron’s latest New York Times best-seller; The President’s Secret Service is a behind the scenes tell-all about the lives – and dilemmas – of the men who have guarded the presidents and their families over the years.

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The 2009 Choral Arts Gala, Photo by Kyle Samperton

The 2009 Washington Life Guide to Balls and Galas.

SEPTEMBER

WNO’S OPENING NIGHT GALA
WL SPON
What to Expect: Join fellow opera enthusiasts for the Washington National Opera’s highly-anticipated Season Opening Night Gala dinner dance following the premiere performance of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, where the funds raised benefit the WNO’s performance programs and educational outreach projects.
Date: Saturday, September 12; 7 p.m.
Location: Performance at the Opera House, The Kennedy Center; gala dinner at the Hall of the Americas, Organization of American States Building
Attire: Black-tie
Price: Starting at $500; sponsorship packages starting at $5,000; performance tickets sold separately
Contact: WNO Special Events Hotline, 202-295-2449, specialevents@dc-opera.org; performance tickets, 202-295-2420

2009 WOLF TRAP BALL
What to Expect: The vast Filene Center stage transforms into a magical setting as Germany marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and celebrates “Freedom without Walls” at the performance venue’s annual ball. As the foundation’s largest fundraiser, proceeds benefit Wolf Trap’s arts and education programs.
Date: Saturday, September 12; 7 p.m.
Location: Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Attire: Black-tie
Event Chairmen: Mary E. Arnold and James C. Nesbitt III
Price: $500 to $1,000; tables from $5,500 to $25,000
Contact: Melanie Allan McCarty, 703-255-1944, events@wolftrap.org

 NATIONAL HISPANIC FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS’ NOCHE DE GALA
WL SPON
What to Expect: Always high on the caliente chart, the evening brings A-List Hispanic entertainers together for dinner, dancing, and fundraising. Founded by actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, and Washington attorney Felix Sanchez, the foundation offers graduate scholarships and programs to young Latinos pursuing careers in entertainment and media.
Date: Tuesday, September 15; 6:30 p.m.
Location: Corcoran Gallery of Art
Attire: Black-tie
Event Chairmen: Joaquin Bacardi III, Sonia Braga, Ginny Grenham, Merel Julia, Esai Morales, Felix Sanchez, and Jimmy Smits
Price: $1,000; corporate sponsorships available
Contact: Jennifer Castillo, 202-293-8330

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The best in hats, helping the homeless, and a bold approach to spotting airborne human traffickers

By Donna Shor

Alison Starling and Michel Martin

PROPER TOPPERS
When executive director Frank Aucella threw open the doors of Kalorama’s Woodrow Wilson House to welcome the throngs to the 21st “Perennial” Garden Party, crowned heads streamed through the doors. Crowned, in this case, with headgear ranging from boldly bizarre to the simply beautiful. Part of the fun at this cocktail-cum-tea party is judging the hats for oneself before the official ranking takes place. Imprudent fashionistas, stilettos sinking into the sod, watched as the winners paraded past in the multi-leveled garden.
Among this year Best Hat Contest winners: For Vintage/Traditional (Lady): Sassy Jacobs, (Gentleman): Gen. Samuel K. Lessey; Live Flower hats: Sarah Salomon and Dr. Damien Doyle; Show Stoppers: Betsy Santarlasci and Greg Muhlner; Best Ensemble: Rhoda Septilici and John McEachern; with Honorable Mention to Foree Biddle. The handsome Georgian Revival mansion, once home to our 28th president, is filled with Wilson family memorabilia, and is a true “living textbook” of American history.

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Abigail Blunt and Rep. Roy Blunt, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Martha Ann Alito

Location: The Phillips Collection

WL SPONSORED – Photos by Kyle Samperton

CELEBRATING SPRING: This historic Dupont Circle arts landmark was filled to capacity for its annual gala benefiting top-notch educational programs. Guests mingled in the courtyard or wandered through the exhibits before sitting down to a feast of locally-sourced, sustainable cuisine by Occasions Catering. Lavish flower arrangements by Jack Lucky decorated every table, and were donated to the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Medical Center following the gala. AFTER-PARTY: Endless dessert buffets, flowing cocktails, and lively dancing followed at the Society of the Cincinnati’s Anderson House, where younger partygoers joined dinner patrons in the garden to chat and enjoy the warm spring air. SPOTTED: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Samuel Alito and wife Martha Ann, Bob McDonnell, artist William Christenberry, Rep. Roy and Abigail Blunt, Debbie Sigmund, and the ambassadors of Spain, Chile, Switzerland, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Morocco and Afghanistan.

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Capital City Ball founders John Dunford and Bruce Fries

Location: The Washington Club

WL SPONSORED - Photos by Tony Powell

ROLL THE DICE: The Polaris Project had luck on its side when ballgoers selected its anti-human trafficking crusade as the beneficiary of the evening’s festivities. Partygoers gambled and gamboled for the cause, joining Miss D.C. Kate Marie Grinold and Olympian Kerri Strug, both strong supporters of the organization. THE PLAYERS: Erin Barnes, Randy Brater, Deborah Sigmund, Alex Kor, Pamela Sorenson, Mike and Cheryl Morehouse, Tanya Sable, Veronica Sanchez, and Gargee Ghosh.

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Whether by jet a la Donald or by Western Union, getting around town is a must.

By Donna Shor

Cyd Everett and friends at the Turkish Embassay.

A GLOBAL MAGNATE (AND MAGNET)

Christina Gold has dimples, a wide smile, and an easy charm that instantly draws you to her; she is also a CEO with international clout. Fortune magazine rates her one of the “100 most powerful women in the world.”

Panamanian ambassador Federico Humbert Arias and his wife Daphne honored Christina with a warm reception at their home, when she and husband Peter were here to receive the 2008 Leadership in Excellence Award of the Inter-American Development Council. It was awarded at the IADC’s seventh annual Winter Gala at the Organization of American States, where she was lauded for her work benefiting underdeveloped areas world wide and for the charitable initiatives she has instituted.

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