The Skinny on Georgetown’s Big Night
By • October 2, 2013 0 2559
The 2013 Georgetown Gala — the annual black tie Citizens Association of Georgetown event that brings together more than 350 guests, neighbors, sponsors and politicos to celebrate Georgetown and CAG’s mission of historic preservation and improving the life of the community — will be held Oct. 18 and will honor Herbert and Patrice Miller.
As this is the Year of Italian Culture in the U.S., the event will be held for the first time at the stunning Italian Embassy on Whitehaven Street. Ambassador and Mrs. Claudio Bisogniero will be honorary chairs. The Venetian Carnivale masked ball features a refined Italian dinner buffet, fabulous entertainment, unique live auction items, a hip after party and more.
The honorees, Herbert and Patrice Miller are long-time Georgetown residents and patrons. In 1967, Herb Miller founded Western Development Corporation, a Washington D.C.-based real estate development and management organization with a 44-year history of innovative mixed-use development. Of particular interest to Georgetown, WDC has been involved in the Georgetown Park retail development, as well as the beautification of Washington Harbor. The Millers were Georgetown residents for decades until this past April when they sold their Federal-style row house on N Street. The gala committee agreed: “We couldn’t let them leave without a proper goodbye.”
Gala co-chairs Colleen Girouard and Robin Jones are making exciting changes to the evening’s program. For the first time in the history of the gala, the formal event will be followed by an after party with dancing until 1 a.m., to be hosted and attended by the younger set of Georgetown. The evening’s entertainment will include guests serenaded by opera performers upon arrival, the D.C. Love Band playing dance music during cocktails and dinner, followed by DJ Adrian Loving, upping the tempo and getting everyone dancing . Floral décor will once again be coordinated by Fabio Ripoli of Georgetown’s own Ultra Violet. His take on the Venetian Carnivale theme will be cutting edge.
Live auction items include a week in a luxury apartment in Florence, three nights in Siena and an exceptional view of the world renowned Palio Di Siena horse race, donated by Simone Bemporad at Bemporad and Associates, the popular Scavenger Hunt Dinner Adventure, an opulent Four Seasons package, an Ermenegildo Zegna Made-to-Measure suit, donated by Ermenegildo Zegna, and “Skin Is In” Men’s and Women’s revolutionary treatment packages, donated by Tina Alster, M.D., Washington Institute for Dermatological Laser Surgery.
The gala’s honorary chairs are Ambassador and Mrs. Claudio Bisogniero, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Selwa “Lucky” Roosevelt, Senator and Mrs. Joseph Lieberman, John J. DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, author Kitty Kelley and entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark Ein.
Sponsors, as of Sept. 17, include Capital Asset Management Group, Manhattan Construction Company, Beasley Real Estate, Long & Foster-Exclusive Affiliate of Christie’s International, Nancy Taylor Bubes of Washington Fine Properties, Clyde’s Restaurant Group, Georgetown University, the Levy Group, Jamestown Properties, Western Development Corporation, Vornado Realty Trust, Coldwell Banker Georgetown, Georgetown University Hospital, M.C. Dean, Inc., Securitas Security Services USA, Creel Printing – Digital Lizard, EagleBank, the Georgetowner, Bruce & Shelley Ross-Larson, CDI, PNC Mortgage and the Georgetown Current.
One of the “Community Pillars” to be noted for the gala is Manhattan Construction, a privately held company in its fourth generation of Rooney family ownership. It is ranked in the top 50 largest construction companies in America. Founded in 1896, Manhattan has been building major projects in Washington for over 30 years. The company history includes legacy works like the Capitol Visitors Center and Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The company has a deep commitment to Georgetown and the owner, Ambassador Francis Rooney, is not only a graduate of Georgetown Prep, Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center, but he and his wife Kathleen are also new neighbors in the Georgetown community. Another Georgetown neighbor, James Lee, runs the company’s regional construction operation and is president of Rooney Properties, a real estate investment and development division.
For more information, visit the CAG website — www.CAGtown.org — or contact the CAG office.
