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    Bell Bottoms & Roller Skates

    Partygoers boogie down at Escape Center's "Friday Night Fever"

    Clifford Pugh
    May 15, 2010 | 5:16 pm
    • Todd Ramos, from left, Joan Schnitzer Levy, Jeff Cook, Sibila Vargas
      Photo by Kim Padgett
    • Sharron Melton
      Photo by Kim Padgett
    • Lester and Sue Smith
      Photo by Kim Padgett
    • Kristi Schiller, Joan Schintzer
      Photo by Kim Padgett
    • Shara Fryer and Barry Silverman
      Photo by Kim Padgett

    What's the best secret to a groovy party? Find a band that covers '70s disco hits.

    That was the formula for the "Friday Night Fever" gala at the Petroleum Club benefiting the Escape Family Resource Center. Once the L.A. band Boogie Nights hit the stage, galagoers, dressed in their best disco finery, jammed the dance floor, grooving to such tunes as "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and "Night Fever." The audience was also treated to a special disco dance number performed by Sue and Lester Smith, wearing coordinated rhinestone costumes.

    Joan Schintzer Levy, who has spearheaded an annual Escape Center fundraising event for a record 29 years, pulled a sequined-dotted off-the-shoulder top with flared pants from her disco days out of the back of her closet. "I knew if I saved it long enough, I would have something to wear it to," she said with a laugh.

    Kristi Schiller, nearly unrecognizable in a black pageboy wig and sparkly minidress, was a dead ringer for Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction while stylist Todd Ramos, in shorts, hoodie and a whistle around his neck, looked like an extra in the Olivia Newton John Let's Get Physical video.

    Levy always recruits friends, including Robert Sakowitz, Shara Fryer, Edward Sanchez and Astros announcer Milo Hamilton, as "celebrity waiters" to serve drinks to the crowd and encourage silent auction bidding.

    A contingent of television and radio personalities were also on hand to schmooze the crowd: The "High Tech Texan" Michael Garfield, food writer Cleverley Stone, Channel 26's Kristi Powers and Sibila Vargas, and Channel 13's Adela Uchida, Sharron Melton and Casey Currey, who showcased her skills on the dance floor in roller skates. (Let's sign her up for a local production of Xanadu!)

    Jeff Cook, founding member of the rock group Alabama, flew in for the event. "It's a great cause. I'm happy to be able to help," he said.

    When was he last in Houston? "The last time it rained," Cook said, while storm clouds swirled around the floor-to-ceiling windows of the 43rd floor of the Exxon Mobil skyscraper in downtown Houston. "I haven't been in Houston when it hasn't rained."

    unspecified
    news/society

    Vintage Vibes

    Wine and resilience shine at Houston nonprofit's glamorous soirée

    Joel Luks
    Jul 9, 2025 | 10:30 am
    Women's Fund Wine Dinner 2025
    Photo by Johnny Than
    Gaston Elie, Gina Gaston Elie, and Mario Elie.

    The Women’s Fund poured on the charm at its 10th Annual Wine Dinner, trading its usual intimate digs for The Astorian’s lofty glamour and a vibe as effervescent as the night’s first pour. Picture white feathers flirting with candlelight, rosé-hued roses blushing in Revere bowls, and a crowd dressed to toast, taste, and turn up for a cause.

    Women's Fund Wine Dinner 2025
      

    Photo by Johnny Than

    Gaston Elie, Gina Gaston Elie, and Mario Elie.

    Chairs Vanessa and Chuck Ames led the swirl, sip, and support soirée, where guests kicked things off with passed bites and bubbly from Amy and Rob Pierce and Alexandra Bruskoff. Jackson and Co. served up crispy artichokes, mushroom Wellington, tuna carpaccio, and beef tartare, perfectly paired with cava and casual elegance.

    The Madam Zero Champagne Wall added sparkle and suspense, doling out deBoulle gift cards and a private champagne tasting. Meanwhile, the silent auction table buzzed with high-stakes bids for year-long date nights, Zadok's bling, a Chopped-worthy in-home dinner by chef Lena Le, and more.

    Dinner dazzled across four courses: Steelhead carpaccio with Meyer lemon sabayon and Texas Vermentino; wild mushroom agnolotti matched with a Russian River Pinot; charcoal-grilled filet cozied up to Tuscan red; and a bittersweet chocolate tart so luxe it got its own sponsor, Armine+Ambrose.

    Mid-meal pop-up auctions turned tables into tasting salons with caviar and Burgundies flowing like insider gossip. And when it came time to raise paddles, auctioneer Johnny Holloway of Johnny Bravo Productions kept the energy high and the giving higher. Think Majorca vacations (sold twice), Rockets suite nights, Napa getaways, and a cameo on Chris Shepherd's Eat Like a Local that also sold — you guessed it — twice.

    The evening honored the inaugural Toast to Resilience Class. Paulina and Jim McGrath earned the Visionary Spirit Award, Gina Gaston Elie was honored with the Resilient Heart Award, and Chris Shepherd and Lindsey Brown received the Champions of Community Award—each recognized for lifting up Houston’s women and girls with compassion, creativity, and serious clout.

    By the end of the night, guests had raised an impressive $485,000. That’s more than double last year's total. With more than 250 oenophiles in attendance, the event proved that good wine and a great cause make for one worthy pairing.

    Supporters raising their glasses included Anne and John Clutterbuck, Ashley Sere, Meredith and Ben Marshall, Jessica and Brian Leeke, Brian Faulkner, Caroline and Matt Monday, Lisa and Charlie Meachem, Corbin Young, Craig and Kristin Kellogg, Jordan and Dylan Seff, Lisa Meacham, Kelly and Frank Hogan, George Breen, Megan and Jerry Hughes Jr., Jillian and Yuri Waldo, Erin and Kyle Cummings, Nadia Tajalli, Paula Sutton, Rania Mankarious, Laura Ward, Sarah Barrett, Shellie McBeth, Steve Jetton, Steve Mohtashami, Aliza Dutt, Danny Ward and Nancy Ames, James Calaway, Jody Merritt, Kristen Collins, Kristy Bradshaw, Laura Davenport, Mario Elie, Nene Foxhall, Roxann and Tim Neumann, and Nora Jarrard.

    news/society
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