A first for the American Dime Museum -- it made money at its recent benefit. In the past, co-founders Dick Horne and James Taylor have just requested a donation of "paper money" for admission to their wing-dings, which usually helps them break even, if that. In exchange, guests get a gander at the North Charles museum's collections of sideshow oddities while chowing down on popcorn, corn dogs and wine. Guests have also enjoyed performances by visiting sideshow artists.
This year, some 400 folks enjoyed all those things plus shuttle rides and free admission to the "World Famous Insanitarium" sideshow, which the Maryland Institute College of Art helped bring to town, that was set up under a tent on Mount Royal Avenue. The huge ticket price for all this fun came to 10 bucks.
Some 400 curious fans watched performers Matt Hely, Harley Newman, Red Stuart, Todd Robbins, Jim Frank, Lauren Muney and Rick Beatty do such things as breathe fire, eat glass, lie on beds of nails, swallow swords and produce a flea circus act. And it was all emceed by one of the country's best-known sideshow men, Bobby Reynolds.
"It was a killer," Dick says, "we ran out of corn dogs and popcorn. That's the first time that's ever happened."
The audience at the "Cabaret for Kids 2002" was wowed by another kind of showstopper at the recent Children's Guild gala. This year, The Children's Guild honored uber-sports-agent Ron Shapiro. So party co-chairs Diane Caslow and Brenda Dandy kicked off the evening's program by having Ron's 4-year-old granddaughter, Kate Dulac, sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Diane says the crowd of 300 guests, like Kurt and Pat Schmoke, Ron's other kids and his mother, Lillian Shapiro, Frank and Maggie Bramble, Fred Manfra, Leroy Merritt, Michael Maas, Mark Jankowski, Donald Manekin, David Pessin, Gwen Skillern and Paul and Bonnie Rudolph, totally melted with that one? Former WBAL-TV sports director Vince Bagli and former Oriole Ken Singleton emceed the show, which included skits by the Guild staff depicting Ron's life. Diane says they were a hoot.
The shindig raised more than $120,000 for The Children's Guild.
Some 900 supporters of The Children's Cancer Foundation filled the Towson Center for its big shebang this year. And talk about a presentation. President Shirley Howard says the high point of the evening came when the organization presented more than 1.7 million dollars to various area hospitals to help in the fight against childrens' cancer and leukemia. The Spinners were the evening's featured performers.
"A lot of our kids were there," Shirley says, "dancing up a storm. The Spinners sang a song to them."
Shirley says some of the grown-up guests included Bernie and Kathleen Ellis, Jerry and Ligia Chadwick, Bob and Audrey Fischer, Don and Maura Kohlhafer, David and Belinda Norton, Dr. Joe and Lillian Hairston, Jeffrey and Linda Howe, Karen Stout and Carmen "Vito" D'Anna.
Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins Pediatric Oncology Friends inaugurated -- so to speak -- Cal Ripken's new stadium in Aberdeen, by being the first group to hold a gala there.
"Everybody was freaking out about the stadium," says Sharon Bass, who served on the event committee with her hubby, WJZ super-personality Marty.
"They were so taken with it. It's the coolest thing -- a mini-Camden Yards."
Sharon says about 500 guests made the trek for the 10th anniversary event, which honored Friends founders Fred and Ginny Mitchell, and raised about $125,000 for Johns Hopkins Pediatric Oncology.
Local architect Steve Ziger was the man of the hour at the Contemporary Museum's get-together. Folks like Eddie and Sylvia Brown, Doreen Bolger, Marla and Dave Oros, Nancy and George Roche, Sally Michel, Curt Decker, Mary Dempsey, Leslie Shepard, Jackie Copeland, Ray Allen and Michael Salcman were there to thank Steve for his past five years as the museum's board president. He's now passed the gavel to Salcman.
Steve says the night was a "blast," including an old Kermit the Frog song that the band, John Dean and the Big Hearts, adapted for him, titled "It's Not Easy Being Steve." The party garnered some $43,000 for the museum.
It wasn't easy to throw together the recent "Think Pink Gala," says Mary McCready. But she and other event committee members managed to pull it all off in a space of just 7 1/2 weeks.
Mary says three organizations -- Johns Hopkins Breast Center, Mothers Supporting Daughters with Breast Cancer and Men Against Breast Cancer -- all joined forces to plan the party at the Radisson Lord Baltimore Hotel. Not only did they get the whole thing planned, she says, but they also rallied more than 200 friends and supporters to come out for the shindig on a night when there were at least a half dozen other benefits going on around town.
And a good party it was. Mary says folks were on the dance floor until the band stopped playing at midnight. Best of all, the party raised some $50,000 for the fight against breast cancer.
Finally, a little goof to clear up. While she was certainly one of the belles of the ball at the Arena Players recent gala awards banquet, the correct name of the director of the Flair Studio of Dance is Willa Bland, not Willa Bell.
Enoch Pratt Society
It was impossible to miss the guest of honor at the Enoch Pratt Society's "Sixth Annual Award Dinner." There he was, in his signature white three-piece suit, graciously chatting with other guests and signing books. Author Tom Wolfe mingled easily with the other 185 guests during the cocktail hour on the second floor of the Central Library. An acoustic guitarist playing in the corner added just the right tone for the evening.
Downstairs, the library's main hall was set for dinner. Round dining tables filled the room -- each with a bowl stuffed with red roses in the center.
Spotted in the mix: J. Tyson Tildon, Enoch Pratt Free Library board or trustees chair; Margot Heller, Enoch Pratt Free Library board of directors president; Ed Brody, Antonia K. Keane, Vernon A. Reid, Sandra Gohn and Jane Daniels, trustee / director board members; Bob Hillman and Decatur Miller, trustees; John Patinella and Jean Silber, board of directors members; Carla Hayden, Enoch Pratt Free Library executive director; Brian Chapman, The COUNT Program Foundation executive director; Winnie Borden, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service executive director; Margo Miller, community volunteer; Dr. Paul McHugh, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine psychiatrist; John Prevas, Baltimore City circuit court judge; Phil Andrews, Kramon & Graham managing principal; Betty Golombek, retired social worker; Marc Steiner, WYPR Radio executive vice president; Stephanie Beran, Legg Mason Risk Management Director; Michael Shaffer, US Securities & Exchange Commission accountant; and Dorothy Scott, Baltimore philanthropist.
The annual award dinner is not a fundraiser, but rather a thank you to all those who donate more than $1000 annually to the Enoch Pratt Free Library.