Ryan Arnold, Elizabeth Yost, Marial Biard, Bear Biard
Upon arrival, guests were greeted with a glass of Madame Zero Champagne, then proceeded to take a seat for dinner. Each table was helmed by a wine host, who provided incredible vintages from their own personal cellars to complement Chef Jett Hurapon's four-course meal.
Before the highly anticipated auction began, Megan Vondra took to the mic to speak about her personal journey with cancer, and how important it is to have a fellow survivor by your side after receiving the devastating diagnosis. CanCare's mission is to provide anyone facing cancer with a survivor to usher them through the difficult chapter. We'll raise a glass to that.
TJ and Margaret Farnsworth
Ben Hildreth, Mary Nell Boone
Val and Leslie Brock
Caroline Kenney, Garvin Davis
Steven and Angelica Newmyer, Kimberly Wilkins
Cathy and David Herr
Robert Sakowitz
Chrissy and Hap Hunnicutt
Natalie and Steve Mohtashami
Christian and Jill Varas
Dan and Martha Ceballos
Megan Vondra and Darcie Wells
Hye Lee, Gleeson Van Riet
Matthew Massey and Nick Sanford
Jason Pennington, Michael Pinon, Matt Girotto
Jim Janke, Susan Kachler
Mark Bermann, Franelle Rogers and Mark Cox
Jeanie Janke and Guy and Kimberly Stout
Kristy Bradshaw, Kelley Lubanko, Phoebe Tudor
The 16th annual event, which raised nearly half a million bucks for the park’s conservancy, drew a who’s-who of lovely ladies — some 480 in all — each trying good-naturedly to outdo the other with haute headgear! Julie Longoria Chen, Isabel David and Rishma Mohamed served as chairs; Paula Harris, a Houston Astros Foundation honcho and longtime park patron, was the honoree.
“The amount of excitement was abundant amongst all the mingling and catching up during the Champagne reception,” gushed a rep for Hermann Park Conservancy, “before the guests were ushered to their seats on the formal lawn for an alfresco lunch crafted by City Kitchen.” Poached shrimp and sliced beef were on the menu, with cheesecake for dessert.
Conservancy board chair Kristy Bradshaw updated guests on developments at the park, including the imminent opening of the long-under-construction McWilliams Dog Park and the Commons. “To say that I’m excited to bring my family to the Commons is a massive understatement,” said Bradshaw. “This excitement is matched by just how grateful I am for each and every person who has worked on this and supported this incredible project as it’s nearly ready to be enjoyed by our community.”
“We have this amazing milestone just around the corner, but we would be remiss to forget the daily work that has maintained the rest of our beloved Park, keeping it the oasis that it is for our six million annual visitors.”
Spotted in the miles of millinery were Fady Armanious, Susie Criner, Allie Fields, Brigitte Kalai, Melissa Juneau, Doreen Stoller, Phoebe Tudor, Hallie Vanderhider.
Allison Stasney, Ting Bresnahan
Lindley Arnoldy, Allie Fields
Ayesha Rashid, Brigitte Kalai, Alice Mao Brams
Brooke Bentley Gunst, Holly Radom, Carolyn Sabat
Phyllis Williams, Roslyn Bazzelle Mitchell, Lauren Randle
Catherine Matthews, Elizabeth Abraham Colombowala
Kristen Berger
Gracie Cavnar, Laura McWilliams
Demetra Jones
Hats in the Park Chairs Isabel David, Rishma Mohamed, Julie Longoria Chen
Holly Alvis
Neekie Kashani, Katherine Whaley
Ping Sun, Mei Leebron
Susie Criner
Paula DesRoches, Morgan Garvey, Doreen Stoller