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Amy Scherzer's Diary

Partiers fuel causes

By AMY SCHERZER
Published October 7, 2005

Bravo to the Broadway Ball wizards led by Karen Urette, who conjured a Wicked-ly successful evening for the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Foundation on Saturday. Dinner for 400 guests and an auction on the Morsani stage magically raised $250,000.

In honoring renaissance man Frank Morsani, chairman of the center's foundation board, executive director Judy Lisi summed up his attitude toward the arts in three words: "He gets it."

Auctioneer buddies Jack Harris and Rick Nafe employed Lisi as a secret weapon. Two dinner parties starring Lisi as the headline entertainment sold for $10,000 each to Steve and Tara Hood and Dottie and Sandy MacKinnon. What a thrill to see the arts outsell two Super Bowl tickets, which went to Brad and Monica Culpepper for $4,500 after some serious razzing from Harris. Bill and Ruth Wagner bought the New York trip to the Tony Awards for $7,000.

Past ball chairwoman Franci Rudolph pointed out the prevalence of green fashions in a tribute to Elphaba, the Wicked Witch and star of Broadway's Wicked, who was not wicked but was unfortunately born bright green.

Among many stunning standouts: Mayor Pam Iorio chose champagne lace; Tom Valenti sported a spider handkerchief of lime green and Erika Wallace shone in black taffeta by Luca Luca. Wallace and her front-row table missed Leslie Uggams' dazzling concert when they slipped out to catch the Tarver-Jones fight. Others were still drinking martinis in the riverfront tent at 1 a.m.

FINE WINE, ART AND FASHIONS fueled three fundraisers last week that raised more than $129,000 for people with physical and mental disabilities. Project Return raised about $25,000 hosting Art for Life. McDonald Training Center Foundation raised $90,000 at All That Glitters at the Florida Aquarium. HARC (Hillsborough Association for Retarded Citizens) brought in $14,000 at its fashion show.

Victor Figueredo, who founded Art for Life in 1991, got so excited when he saw 900 people pile into Higgins Hall on Saturdaythat he forgot to pull out his speech. Off the cuff, he renewed the plea for a cure for AIDS and for fighting mental illness. He was blown away to see attendance double from last year and the donated artwork to triple.

Stockbroker/glass collector Howard Sachs auctioned Duncan McClellan's signature piece to longtime supporter Beth Elbert for $12,500. Ray Cruz bought James Rosenquist's painting, Stars And Stripes at the Speed of Light, 2nd State, for $5,000.

Event chairwoman Jeanne Lavettre offered artists the choice of donating outright or keeping a 20 or 30 percent commission.

Jan Ingram of Jan's Wines & Boos coordinated wine and spirit vendors for the eighth All That Glitters. Her mix: 200 wines, 80 silent auction gifts, 16 restaurant samples, 15 celebrity servers, seven bands and 700 guests. Among those, 350 VIP tickets of $100 included special vintages sold at a discount.

Krewe of Agustina de Aragon members and TW Creative Communications volunteers came out in masse. So did Richard and Karen Shampaine, who were not the anonymous $10,000 Champagne Sponsor, despite the obvious name.

Georgette and Tashia Diaz of Georgette's of Old Hyde Park staged the second Festival of Fashion benefit for HARC at the Hyatt Regency Tampa. Eventions Show Productions' dancers kicked off each segment, from flirty skirts to a grand formal wear finale. Dax Quijano turned heads as a Saturday Night Fever Travolta-type. Emily, 10, and Joey Loto, 13, grandkids of choreographer Jackie Loto, won the crowd with a Wicked ballet duet. Media models got the most applause from the audience of 450. Jack Harris emceed, of course.

Lucky Martha Williams of Valrico won the 50-50 raffle and took home $1,000.

SHOW OF (LIFE) SUPPORT. A sizable number of the Tampa Museum of Art's nearly 2,000 members showed up last week to see the newest exhibit, Georgia O'Keeffe and Her Time. About 250 patrons and sponsors got the first glimpse Sept. 29, followed by the 400 members and 150 First Wavers, courted as future arts patrons, on Sept. 30.

It was almost 11 p.m. by the time First Wavers found their way to the party, dubbed La Vie Boheme by chairwoman Allison Beard and committee. It took forever for them to get from the Touch vodka bar at the front door to the bohemian buffet on the terrace. Lauren Berner of Soirees in Style draped gauze and velvet fabrics on mattresses a la O'Keeffe's artist colony days. Catering by Design served tamale cakes and salmon frittatas.

Good thing they showed, because Tampa Bay Industry magazine's preprinted October/November issue - distributed at the party - calls the event "a smash" and reports of dancing in the main and terrace galleries.

Errr, no. Soul Down played in the lecture room for a handful of dancers. The large gallery was a desert.

Best Bohemian chic dress prize goes to Laura Ware Wash, who bought it in Seattle just hours before the party.

- To pass along tips to Amy Scherzer, call 226-3332 or log on to www.sptimes.com/party

SATURDAY: WEDU benefit; 7 p.m.; Tampa Museum of Art; $75 or $140 a couple; 800 354-9338 or visit www.wedu.org

SATURDAY: Total Experience wine-tasting benefits March of Dimes; 6:30-9 p.m.; Don Vicente de Ybor; $75; 287-2600, ext. 28.

TUESDAY: Glitz and Sticks celebrity casino evening benefits Tampa General Hospital and Tampa Bay Lightning Foundation; 7 p.m.; St. Pete Times Forum; $250; 301-6590.

OCT. 14: Downtown YMCA's 10th annual Art Auction and dinner; 6 p.m.; Hyatt Regency Tampa; $75; 229-9622.

OCT. 15: Hearts of Fire Gala benefits Muscular Dystrophy Association; A La Carte Pavilion; $250; (727) 577-4217.

OCT. 20: Junior League Holiday Gift Market Gala; Tampa Port Authority Terminal No. 3; $75; 254-1734.

OCT. 23: Island Night at Jackson's winetasting benefits LifePath Hospice; 5:30 p.m.; Jackson's Bistro on Harbour Island; $60 advance; $75 at the door; 871-8433.

[Last modified October 6, 2005, 08:25:09]