Shelby's Social Diary

Wicked witches play Trick or Toy, Houston artists take over New York and thein-crowd lunches

Sidney Faust, left, and Cora Sue Mach headlining their annual "Trick or Toy"party.
Photo courtesy of Texas Children's Cancer Center
The entire yard in River Oaks was decorated.
Photo courtesy of Texas Children's Cancer Center
Filmmaker Michel Muylle with Kristine Mills during their night at New York'sMetropolitan Room.
Photo by Tracy Ketcher NYC
Mark Addison, from left, Tammy Dowe, Neal Hamil and Dustin Mansyur atthe Collector's Waltz screening.
Photo by Tracy Ketcher NYC
The table setting for "Trick or Toy" was a Halloween vision.
Photo courtesy of Texas Children's Cancer Center

If you saw a coven of witches and other creatures circling through River Oaks midday Tuesday, no worries. It was the 13th annual "Trick or Toy" Halloween luncheon hosted by self-proclaimed "wicked witches" Sidney Faust and Cora Sue Mach.

But anyone who knows those two generous femmes understands that they are anything but wicked, as if their frothy ball gown costumes weren't a giveaway.

This was the 13th year that the duo has hosted the event at the Faust home where guests are required to bring new holiday toys for patients at Texas Children's Cancer Center. By the party's end, hundreds of toys had been stacked up around the wagon in the Faust yard.

Lunching on fare from Pappas, having their fortunes read and handwriting analyzed were Melinda Berkman, Denise Bush Bahr, Andy Delery, Dr. Ronada Davis, Joann Crassas, Alice Mosing, Karen Mayell and loads more.

Partying in Manhattan

A duo of Houstonians took over New York's Metropolitan Room on Thursday to showcase their talents. Filmmaker and art collector Michel Muylle presented an abridged screening of his Gold REMI Award-winning documentary Collector's Waltz, which features gallerist Wade Wilson and six Houston-based artists and their collectors.

Not coincidentally, Houston vocal talent Kristine Mills was on the same billing with Muylle. She wrote and performed all music for the film soundtrack and presented those ballads and more in the Metropolitan Room, where she is a popular talent.

Applauding the Houston artists were fans including Neal Hamil, Mark Addison, Dustin Mansyur, Samira Salman, Erinn McMahon, Channing Sanderson, Julie Levy, Penny Sidik, Tammy Dowe and Adam Paige.

Sight 'ems

The in-crowd lunching at La Griglia including wheeler dealer Fred Zeidman, attorney Jim Moriarty, developer Art Lopez, political strategist Cindy Clifford and social butterfly Neil Strauss, celebrating his birthday in the bar with about 30 friends . . .

Sheridan and John Eddie Williams, Karen and Mike Mayell and Diane and John Connally III having a casual dinner at Brasserie 19.

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raising glasses

Wine and dine raises spirits for Houston's Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities wine and dine fundraiser 2024

Photo by Johnny Than

Alicia Reggie Freysinger, His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Catholic Charities President Cynthia Nunes Colbert.

An evening of fine dining and philanthropy unfolded at The Revaire for the 2024 Wine and Dine Dinner, benefitting Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on November 16. With wine glasses in hand and wallets wide open, the stylish and pious savored a night dedicated to lifting up the most vulnerable in the community.

Co-chairs Mikki Hebl and David E. Harvey, Jr., alongside Kerri and Downey Bridgwater, welcomed the crowd, which included His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, who blessed the meal. The highlight? A four-course feast by master sommelier Brandon Kerne and chef Ryan Bouillet, paired with wines selected to enhance each bite.

An interactive twist with the secret sip challenge surely added a playful element. Attendees worked together to identify the mystery wine — a 2015 Merite Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia’s Wrattonbully region.

But the night wasn’t just about indulgence. The live auction, emceed by Johnny Bravo, and a moving “fund a need” segment inspired oenophiles to dig deep for Catholic Charities’ programs. Last year, the organization served people in need 358,000 times across Harris, Fort Bend, and Galveston counties, providing essentials like food, housing assistance, and legal aid for immigrants.

Generous support came from sponsors like the Hildebrand Foundation, Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, and Cuenod Families.

Wining and dining were Alicia Reggie Freysinger, Cynthia Nunes Colbert, Penny and Paul Layne, Monit Cheung and Patrick Leung, Ashley and Doug Plaeger, Sandi and Jim Lemming, Carol and Paul Beck, Louise and Bob Parsley, Avalyn Langemeier, Suzanne Werner, Amie Springmeyer, Lori Hessel, Ginger Niemann, Peggy Idstein, Karina and Mark Amelang,and Ellen and Jim Ginty.

Photo by Johnny Than

Alicia Reggie Freysinger, His Eminence Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Catholic Charities President Cynthia Nunes Colbert.

catholic charities of the archdiocese of galveston-houston fundraisers