St. Marys Party
Two Saturdays ago (4/26/2008) we attended an extremely nice party / fundraiser event in Paris.. Myself (talking with the Owens’), Elizabeth and her boss Steve Nichols, and Meg & her father-in-law James Nelson were photographed in the Lexington Herald Leader story about the event. Albeit with our backs turned..
Shades of Twelve Oaks
Last Saturday couldn”t have been a more perfect evening for ”April in Paris.“ The historic Wallis House and Arboretum on Pleasant Street in Paris was the scene of the first gala benefit for St. Mary School.
When I walked through The Wallis House onto the back porch, I was awestruck. All I could think of was the Twelve Oaks barbecue in Gone With the Wind. It was stunning.
More than 200 guests mixed and mingled around white tables and chairs, some under white tents, and sipped wine and champagne and nibbled on hors d’oeurves as Miles Osland and his Little Big Band played jazz and other favorites.
This was just a prelude to a delightful supper catered by Migdalia’s Restaurant of Paris: shaved beef tenderloin on crostini, shrimp cocktail, lamb chops, salmon and brie bundles, sushi, blue cheese and pine nut tartlets, and asparagus wrapped with prosciutto. Mini crème brûlée and chocolate mousse torte were offered for dessert.
The catalysts for this benefit were four women, all Parisians and mothers of students at St. Mary: Holly McMillin, Betsy Lankford, Pam McFarland and Barclay De Wet.
”We raised approximately $50,000 for the school,“ McMillin said by phone after the benefit.
Aside from the ticket receipts, the benefit included a silent and live auction. Many of the items auctioned were made by students at St. Mary. A couple of interesting items sold were two adorable miniature donkeys, named Joseph and Mary. ”They sold for $900,“ McMillin said.
The top moneymaker was a trip to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. ”It went for $6,700,“ she said. ”We will be doing it again next year, and the theme will be the Gardens of Paris.“
If you’re interested in receiving an invitation for next year’s benefit, contact St. Mary School at (859) 987-3815.
