White House Correspondents’ Weekend
• June 18, 2012

The parties before and after the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, April 28, are at least half the fun of running around town, whether to Vote Latino at the Hay Adams, NPR’s party at the Gibson Guitar Showroom, Tammy Haddad’s brunch at Mark Ein’s house on R Street (the former home of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham), the newly launched Google party, the Time reception at the St. Regis, the Capitol File party at the Newseum or the MSNBC party at the Italian Embassy. Of course, the pre-dinner receptions at the Washington Hilton are great for checking out the scene. Just show a ticket to the guard at the escalator. And, of course, the main event itself, where the president and Jimmy Kimmel threw out jokes on the GSA, Secret Service, Mitt Romney, dogs and the media. Thank goodness for the McLaughlin Group-Thomson Reuters brunch on Sunday atop the Hay-Adams: a sunny, mellow way to recover from the parties with friends and colleagues. Yeah, it was sort of a nerd prom when “glitz meets geeks,” as one smartie observed, but it’s ours for a few days in April each year. [gallery ids="100769,123448,123441,123433,123428,123461,123420,123468,123413,123475,123405,123482,123454" nav="thumbs"]

An Impressive 57th Corcoran Ball
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Once again the Corcoran Gallery transformed into an exhibit gala of guests, dinner and dance for its 57th annual ball April 20. Under the honorary patronage of France’s Ambassador Francois Delattre and his wife Sophie and the honorary chair of artist Sam Gilliam, the ball chair Deborah de Gorter threaded the galleries with happy, art-loving partiers and patrons. [gallery ids="100771,123521,123514,123485,123508,123501,123493" nav="thumbs"]

Nobody’s Late for ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Ball
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The Mellon Auditorium glistened with red and gold as dancers celebrated the Washington Ballet’s own premiere take on Lewis Carroll’s fantasy. Guests were welcomed by Sylvia de Leon, Elizabeth Bagley and Septime Webre and treated to a dance selection of the work and performances by student dancers. [gallery ids="100772,100772,123530,123509,123530,123509,123517,123525" nav="thumbs"]

Washington Fine Properties Cup
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At Virginia’s Gold Cup races, May 5, rider Ross Geraghty and trainer Joseph Delozier are awarded the Washington Fine Properties Cup by Tom Anderson (center) along with Dana Landry, Marc Schappel and William Moody (behind), thanks to their horse, Lake Placid, owned by Irvin Naylor. This fourth race of about 2.5 miles held a purse of $25,000, of which the winner received $15,000.

Patriotic Arts Education Celebration Fete
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The D.C. Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative held its spring event “Patriotic Arts Education Celebration Fete” at the Lincoln Restaurant, where more than 150 arts education enthusiasts turned out to support the mission of providing access to arts and humanities for all of D.C. public school students. Honorary co-chairs included Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Representatives John Lewis and Louise Slaughter as well as D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson. [gallery ids="100802,124482,124476,124469" nav="thumbs"]

Mexico’s Noche de Pasión
• June 8, 2012

The Ambassador of Mexico and Mrs. Veronica Valencia-Sarukhan, Washington Ballet Artistic Director Septime Webre and co-chairs Pilar Frank O’Leary de la Cruz Ernst choreographed a fabulous evening on May 11, Noche de Pasión, celebrating the world premiere of Noche Latina. Guests gathered on the Rivers restaurant terrace alongside the Kennedy Center before the ballet performance and then proceeded to the Mexican Cultural Institute’s “Café Pasión” for dinner and margarita-fueled dancing. The event raised scholarship funds for Spanish dancers. [gallery ids="102454,121108,121085,121069,121096,121077,121053,121091,121061,121102" nav="thumbs"]

Suited for Change Turns 20
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Barbara Camens, president of Suited for Change, welcomed guests to Suited for Spring, a 20th anniversary luncheon held at the Capital Hilton May 10. SFC partners with more than 70 community organizations that refer clients for assistance in professional attire and job readiness training. TV reporter Jummy Olabanji interviewed SFC client Ivana Willis, who said SFC mentoring gave her confidence to reenter the work force. Willis now holds a permanent position as an administrative assistant at the American Psychological Association. [gallery ids="100809,124662,124654,124641,124649" nav="thumbs"]

D.C. Arts’ Cuisine des Artistes 2012
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Meridian International Center was a logical venue on May 10 for the D.C. Arts Center to present the Herb White Award to multi-media maverick Bill Warrell, whose life “goes all up and down Georgia Avenue.” Restaurateur White was unstinting in his support for adventuresome artists. The honoree said, “We are all cultural warriors.” The event celebrated the creativity of D.C.’s visual and culinary artists. Collaborations included “Hieronymus Borscht” and Frittata Kahlo.” Founded in 1989 in Adams Morgan, the D.C. Arts Center provides a gallery and black box theater where emerging artists can hone their craft. [gallery ids="100810,124688,124680,124658,124674,124667" nav="thumbs"]

Will On The Hill
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Shakespeare Theatre Company’s 9th Annual Will on the Hill [gallery ids="99743,99744,99745,99746,99747,99748,99749,99750,99751" nav="thumbs"]

Tickled Pink, IX
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Mothers and daughters modeled Lilly Pulitzer’s spring and summer lines at a tea and fashion show benefitting Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic at the Fairmont Washington on May 12. President and CEO Maura Harty said over 700 volunteers help make wishes come true. T.J. Morales shared that his wish to go to Disney World with his family had brought respite from the debilitating effects of cancer treatment. DC Magazine was the media partner and Alexa Rubin of American Girl Washington DC hosted a craft table where young ladies could create a special Mother’s Day gift. Guests departed with Lilly goodie bags. [gallery ids="100811,124711,124702,124729,124693,124735,124685,124741,124676,124747,124720" nav="thumbs"]