Drink up!

Revelers at Candlelighters Margarita Taste-Off kill 40 bottles of tequila andraise $12k

Candlelighters' annual Margarita Taste-Off at Antique Bar raised $12,000.
Photo by Elizabeth Haines
Members of Candlelighters' YP group gather to raise funds and pick the bestmargarita in town.
Photo by Elizabeth Haines
More than 250 people came out to enjoy the day on the patio.
Photo by Elizabeth Haines

Candlelighters' third annual Margarita Taste-Off recently drew an overflow crowd of 250 for a glorious day of patio revelry. The event at Antique Bar raised more than $12,000 for the organization's Childhood Cancer Family Alliance, which provides emotional, educational and practical assistance to children with cancer and their families.

Several of Houston's best loved Mexican eateries, including Tila's, Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen, El Tiempo, Taco Milagro, Yelapa, Maria Selma, Xuco Xicana, and Armandos were out to support the cause and mix margaritas, along with Beaver's, whose bartenders offered a twist on the more traditional margaritas.

Guests sampled and selected their favorite margaritas to award first, second and third-place honors. Although we'd have ranked the top three (from first to last) as Maria Selma (last year's winner), Tila's and then Beaver's for their innovative grapefruit juice and rosewater margarita, the masses gave first place honors to Sylvia's, followed by El Tiempo and a two-way tie between Tila's and Taco Milagro for third.

Tequila was generously provided by sponsor Don Julio, whose rep, the affable Jorge Raptis, remained upbeat even after the 40-bottle supply ran out at just 3 p.m. Luckily, there was beer on hand as reserve supplies were shipped out to whet the whistles of the dancing throngs, who stayed on well past the competition's close to dance to the music of Sensual Soul.

Revelers included Will Evans and Allison Monteith Evans, Aron Will, Fred Dahr, Tim Zawinsky, Tommy Hensley, Clark Henry, Roula Zoghbi, and attorney Joellen Snow.

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BOOTS & BALLET

Houston Ballet kicks off 2026 season with Texas-themed fundraising dinner

Photo by Michelle Watson, CatchLight Group

Honorees Hugh and Carroll Ray and Opening Night Onstage Dinner chairs Kris and Richard McGee.

This year, ballet aficionados swapped formal attire for cowboy boots, hats, and fringe as they filled the Wortham Theater Center for Houston Ballet's 2026-27 season opener, a triple bill including George Balanchine’s Symphonie Concertante, Lar Lubovitch’s Meadow, and the revival of Stanton Welch’s Pecos Bill. The Western-inspired looks were a nod to the highly anticipated production, which brought a fun Texas twist to the ballet's annual onstage dinner.

The evening began with Michele Leal, the City of Houston’s director of the Office of Arts, reading a proclamation from Mayor John Whitmire naming September 11, 2026, Houston Ballet Day. The celebratory moment was followed by a pause for silence in remembrance of those lost on 9/11, before the orchestra launched into a spirited rendition of the national anthem.

The crowd gave a hats-off ovation to Kris and Richard McGee, who chaired the event, which raised more than $320,000 for the Houston Ballet. Co-artistic director Julie Kent honored Carroll and Ray Hugh for more than 40 years of generosity and for helping to inspire and sustain an appreciation for dance in Houston.

Immediately after the performance, the curtains rose to welcome dinner guests to the opening-night onstage dinner. Completely transformed by Bergner and Johnson Design, the space drew inspiration from Pecos Bill and Texas's natural landscape. Tablescapes included denim, taupe linens, and red gingham napkins set off by centerpieces featuring a colorful bounty of flowers.

Guests kicked off their Texas-themed meal, prepared by City Kitchen, with a seasonal salad, followed by a main course of beef short rib served with Yukon Gold potato mash, oven-roasted okra, and buttermilk biscuits. Dessert was a classic chocolate pecan tart paired with vanilla bean gelato.

Boot-wearing VIPs included Kris and Richard McGee; Carroll and Hugh Ray; Sonja Kostich; Julie Kent; Stanton Welch AM; Chad Libertus; Stephanie Tsuru; Melza and Ted Barr; C.C. Conner and David Groover; Jo Furr; Margaret Alkek Williams; David Wuthrich; Bill Stubbs and Kurt Grether; Rose Cullen; Leigh and Reggie Smith; Ileana and Michael Treviño; Shawn Stephens and Jim Jordan; Margaret Cox; Deborah Keyser and James Stafford; Allison and Troy Thacker; Jay Jones and Terry Wayne Jones; Jennifer and Chris Laporte; Leigh and Chris Joseph; Michele Leal; Angie Matula; Akemi Saitoh; Marguerite Swartz; Jerry Ann Woodfin-Costa; Mignon and Steve Gill; Susan and Gary Binney; Christine and Paul Sofka; Sharon Roark; Leslie Alston; Michael Zenker; Michelle Iversen Jeffery; Timothy Wampler; Beth Muecke; Rochelle and Andrew Deiso; Kent Schaffer; Sasha Davis and Geoffrey Oshman; Kevin Potter; Jean and Henry May; Helen and Jim Shaffer; Rini and Edward Ziegler; Erin Patak and Alejandro Aballay; Mitchell George and Stanley Curtis, Jr.

Photo by Michelle Watson/CatchLight Group

Honorees Hugh and Carroll Ray and Opening Night Onstage Dinner chairs Kris and Richard McGee.

harper watters pecos bill houston performance houston ballet fundraisers