Whiskey, Custom Cowgirl Boots and Diamonds: These Fundraising Ladies Are in a League of Their Own

Priscilla Dickson and Daniel Ortiz
Whiskey, Custom Cowgirl Boots and Diamonds: These Fundraising Ladies Are in a League of Their Own

Amanda Boffone, Jane Johnston, Amy Comiskey, Mimi Forester, Julie Comiskey

THE JUNIOR LEAGUE’S annual Charity Ball was a true taste of Texas, hosting 600-plus members and their guests for the first large-scale event in two years.


From the comfort-food-chic fare — a la mac and cheese alongside a crab-topped filet, and finished off with a pecan ball and lemon ice box pie — to the décor, which included thousands of Texas wildflowers, the great state shone brightly. There was even a boot-polishing station and a whiskey-tasting setup courtesy of Giant Distillery.

A live auction raised $100,000 by flaunting items like a vacay to Belize, a tour of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, tickets to see George Strait, custom his-and-hers boots from Republic Boot Company, and jewelry galore. The Grooves and the Honky Tonk Revivalists jammed out as guests boot-scooted their way onto the dance floor.

The weekend’s till topped $900,000. Yee-haw!

Adam and Stephanie Massey with Brett and Kristen McDonald

Anne Sears and Jennifer Roberts

Walter Sassard and Ruchi Mukherjee

Sydney and Barry Goss

Rebecca Morgan, Emily Scott, Jennifer Weinstock, Valorie Colter and Mallory Williams

Megan and Luke Hotze

Mitra Woody, Jennifer Howard and Marcy de Luna

Ben and Katie Eisterhold

Eric and Lisa McCarthy

Faisal and Madison Tai

Honky Tonk Revivalists

The Grooves

Bethany and Ben Buchanan

Parties

A detail of 'Cycle' (Photos courtesy Barbara Davis Gallery)

NEWS OF RECENT commissions by Houston artist Paul Fleming led us to several photos of his eye-catching, large-scale wall installations, many of which are installed in the sunlit interiors of some of the city’s most beautiful homes and apartment communities, including the resident lounge of The Southmore, located just a few blocks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

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Art + Entertainment

Installation view of 'THIS WAY: A Houston Group Show' at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, 2023. (Photo by Sean Fleming)

IN THE SUMMER of 1865, less than two months after the end of the Civil War, thousands of former slaves, or “freedpeople,” from the Texas countryside and every state in the former Confederacy made the pilgrimage via the San Felipe Trail to Houston’s Fourth Ward and established Freedman’s Town — a neighborhood for families determined to build and establish a thriving community as the country entered the Reconstruction era. Nearby cypress trees provided wood to construct family homes and handcrafted bricks were used to create the neighborhood’s streets. In June 2021, the Houston City Council voted to make Freedmen’s Town the city’s first official Heritage District, which allows nonprofits to help fund the restoration and care of the community’s historic structures, including those brick streets.

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