On the town

Yacht club clad in black and white for Bucketeers

The Bucketeers held their annual Barataria Ball at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club on Saturday evening, adhering to their tradition of wearing black and white. A few furs donned for the occasion did not precisely follow the rules, nor did the profusion of decorated trees throughout the club, but no matter.

Martha Hobach, who for years has decorated tables for the ball, stood firm with the theme, featuring black tablecloths and sprinkling them with black and silver confetti, but she stayed away in the evening; her husband, Dr. George Hobach, was ill.

The partygoers included Chris and Luanne Ferguson, Richard and Laurell Kimbrough, Steve and Nancy Thomas, Robert and Tracey Lovejoy, Paul and Sandy Hardin, Graham Stansbury, Mary Wyatt Allen, Ralph and Carol Sue Stevens, Bud and Laura Felix, Bob and Tina Douglass, Jerry and Joyce Sewell, Dr. John and Imy Hamilton, Dr. Randy and Amy Buckspan, Alan and Kathy Elston and Hardy and Donna Bryan.

Howard and Zana Ennis drove down from Inverness, and Sandy Bozeman brought her mother, Peg Wilson; husband Bill Bozeman was in Louisiana campaigning for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Suzanne Haik Terrell, who lost to Democrat Mary Landrieu in Saturday's runoff election.

Also attending were Bill and Jane Emerson, Joe and Joanne Fleece, Jack and Mary Jane Cartier, Tom and Betty Jean Miller, Judy Stanton, Dick and Eve Jerger, Don and Joan Jaicks, Bob and Nancie Dale, Langston and Carol Holland, Tom and Mary Ellen Shevlin, Judge Robert and Aimee Shingler, Chuck and Carole Waygood, Don and Peggy Krippendorf, Bud and Mary Evertz, John and Jeannine Green, Tom and Virginia Brew, and Ossie Sabina, the group's captain, or president, with wife Carol.

The Bucketeers organized as a supper club in the late 1950s and became an official nonprofit social group in 1961.

The gala takes its name from Barataria Bay, where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans. The pirate Jean Lafitte used it as his fortress and named it for the mythical land sought by Cervantes' Don Quixote.

The American Cancer Society Pinellas County Unit's Sword of Hope group chose the Hilton St. Petersburg for its annual Love Lights a Tree program Sunday evening.

Celma Mastry did the honors after a blessing by the Rev. Chuck Engelhardt, pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Seminole. His mother is a cancer survivor and has recovered from two separate malignancies.

The lighted tree is filled with numerous angel ornaments, a nod to the donors who are raising money for Tampa Hope Lodge, a homelike place for patients being treated at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.

Among those gathered in the ballroom for hors d'oeuvres, music and silent and live auctions were Charlie and Paula Park, Celmita Mastry, Bernice McCune, Pat LaMonde, Lorraine Danna, Dr. Joe Pilkington, Helena Miller, Judy Cuniff, Valerie Flannigan, Herb and Sheila Tempelmann, Dr. Dency Rivas and Bob and Barbara Hannan.

WQYK radio personality Dave McKay was master of ceremonies, acknowledging Sword of Hope Angels Susan Barnes, Paula Blanda, Daniel J. Morrow, Mrs. Mastry, Avery and Dot McCarthy and Al and Nan Tower. Ann Foster and L.A. Malin presented the Hope Award to Audrey Premack.

The Thieves of San Lorenzo, a St. Petersburg krewe, made sure that guests were adorned with party beads in red, green and gold. Helping L.A. Malin with those duties were Cheryl Skelton, Marilyn Etheridge and Karen Marlow, whose daughter Marissa also was in full costume.

Sword of Hope president and cancer survivor Barbara Royston was accompanied by husband Dick and daughters Hope and Elizabeth before heading to New York City for a family vacation.

Friday night at the Hilton, the theme was more that of Mardi Gras at a Masque-for-AIDS, a benefit for For AIDS Care Today.

Lots of attendees wore elaborate masks, and numerous disguises were for sale in the area outside the ballroom.

Inside, the tables were covered with cloths and sparkles of green, purple and gold, and colored beads cascaded from the tall arrangements of roses.

The crowd included FACT coordinator Anthony Barros, Chuck Williams, Robert Danielson, Al May, Dave Buby, Ed. Cassidy, Mike Bell, Len and Cam Van Noord, Linda Harper, Tony Tedaro, Rachel Hunter, Lakia Norwood, Gabriel McIntyre and Brian Longstreth.

Brian Reale, just in from New York, wore a bolero tie with his tuxedo shirt, its clasp a flashing blue light that illuminated the familiar red AIDS ribbon. It's to remind people to keep thinking about AIDS, he said.

Ricki Liff, who received the Volunteer of the Year award, told the group: "I hope that one day ... World AIDS Day (Dec. 1) will be a quaint relic of the past."

One thing the group must work on is its timing. Rooms off the hallway outside the ballroom were filled with silent auction items, and the bar opened at 6.

We weren't called to dinner until 8:30, and entertainment preceded the meal. A social "hour" that extends that long can lead to hungry, cranky and sometimes tipsy patrons; all were in evidence at Friday's gala.

LOOKING AHEAD

Today

HOLIDAY HAPPY HOUR: Contemporaries of Museum of Fine Arts gathering to meet photographer Herb Snitzer. Complimentary snacks, drink specials. 6:30 p.m. Members free, nonmembers $5. Grand Finale Restaurant and Gallery, 1101 First Ave. N, St. Petersburg. 896-2667.

Thursday

CASA PEACE BREAKFAST: Sixth annual event benefits Center Against Spouse Abuse. Guest speaker: the Rev. Aubra Love. 7 a.m. Palm Court Ballroom, Renaissance Vinoy Resort, 501 Fifth Ave. NE, St. Petersburg. Meal underwritten by St. Anthony's Health Care. 895-4912.

SCIENCE CENTER LUNCHEON: Potluck holiday event. Noon to 3 p.m. Private home. 866-1276.

Friday

GREAT EXPLORATIONS GREAT GARAGE SALE: Everything on sale. Items include dinosaur head cast, computerized music stations, steel and electric drums, chairs, cash registers, strobe exhibit. Presale 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, sale 8 a.m. Saturday.

-- Mary Jane Park can be reached at (727) 893-8267; fax (727) 893-8675; e-mail park@sptimes.com; P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

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