Fertitta's 'True Blue' Backyard Bash Raises $1M for Houston Police

Fertitta's 'True Blue' Backyard Bash Raises $1M for Houston Police

Matt Clark, Julia Morales Clark, Laurie and Bret Sanders

TILMAN FERTITTA AND his family hosted the 15th annual True Blue fundraising fete benefiting the Houston Police Foundation. More than 600 supporters — clad in denim and beautiful shades of blue, naturally — helped make it a record-breaking event, with $1 million raised for the department's equipment and training.


This year's True Blue bash was Hawaiian-themed, and touted fire dancers, hula girls and drumming luau performers. And, of course, given the access to Landry's best and brightest, the food impressed: Restaurants like The Palm, Willie G's and Brenner's provided bites such as green papaya salad, bluffing tuna poke, teriyaki beef kabobs and more.

Meanwhile, HPD's robotic dog, Spot, roamed the grounds looking for photo ops, and wasn't even frightened during the casual-cool evening's finale — an eye-catching, ear-popping 15-minute fireworks display!

Blake Fertitta, Tilman Fertitta, Blayne Fertitta and Patrick Fertitta

Whitney and John Whitmire

Michael Kaplan and Garrett Kaplan

Twila Carter with Spot

Keith and Alice Mosing

Tim Phillips and Pat Mann Phillips

Monica and Russell Ybarra

Tilman Fertitta, Laura Ward, Police Chief Troy Finner

Paul and Kristina Somerville, Frances Moody Buzbee and Tony Buzbee

Sam Pena, Joan Huffman, Keith Lawyer

Sunny and Mac Haik

Parties

MaKiin (photo by Sean Rainer)

PULL UP A chair to one of these delights, be it upscale Thai, hearty Italian brunch, elegant Japanese, or a prime Downtown steak-out. Don’t forget dessert!

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Food

THERE’S A MOMENT in Terence Blanchard’s opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones, which made history in 2021 as the first opera by a Black composer to be performed by the Metropolitan Opera, when the singing stops and a step dance — a highly energetic percussive dance form created by African American fraternities and sororities — takes center stage. It’s a thrilling scene that inspired a standing ovation each night of the opera’s sold-out run.

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Art + Entertainment