Social Scene

Georgetowner • July 18, 2014

Friends of the National Arboretum welcomed 550 horticulturists, business leaders and members of Congress to its 20th Annual Cookout Under the Stars June 17. Each year, the cookout celebrates a different state. Peter Raven, president emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden, was honored at the fundraising event, which was held in the Ellipse Meadow below the Arboretum’s dramatic National Capitol Columns. Board chair Barbara Shea said the Arboretum is a place, where “science meets beauty.” FONA provides financial and other vital assistance for the U.S. Arboretum’s research, public education and outreach functions. [gallery ids="116139,116137,116133" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

Will on the Hill, the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s annual bipartisan comedic event, took over Sidney Harman Hall June 17 with special guest actors Nicholas Bruder, Harry Hamlin and Hannah Yelland alongside a host of familiar faces from the halls of Congress and other Washington luminaries. The program began with students from Maryland’s Charles Flowers High School giving a Bollywood slant to a scene from “Henry IV.” They are participating in Text Alive!, a free arts initiative offered by the STC in local schools. The evening, which included a cocktail reception and buffet dinner, raised $465,000 for STC’s community engagement programs. [gallery ids="116143,116141,116146" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner • July 16, 2014

Per neighborhood tradition, L’Enfant Cafe Bar on 18th Street, NW, closed down Vernon Street July 12 for Bastille Day, and all things French and French Revolution took over the day. King Louis XIV (L’Enfant co-owner Jim Ball) arrived, then the can-can dancers, and then came the French maid race set off. Marie Antoinette showed up for the evening festivities. [gallery ids="101812,139884,139880" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

Along with family, friends and other chefs, David Guas of Arlington’s Bayou Bakery joined Councilman Jack Evans and his wife Michele at their P Street home July 2 to celebrate the premiere of the Travel Channel’s “American Grilled,” a grilling competition show, where Guas is host and co-judge. The happy crowd enjoyed hamburger sliders and some righteous cole slaw as well as a cake portraying a barbecue grill. [gallery ids="116138,116129,116135,116132" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

A reception held at Teddy & Bully Bar July 10 not only raised money for Knock Out Abuse but welcomed the Knock Out Abuse Inaugural Junior Board of 2014. The junior board will work alongside Knock Out Abuse co-founders Cheryl Masri and Jill Sorensen, and the executive committee, chaired by Ann Walker Marchant, to broaden awareness of an issue that disproportionately affects girls and young women. Guests sipped on specialty cocktails, nibbled on delectable passed hors d’ oeuvres and were entered in a raffle to win a one-of-a-kind Wizards experience, which included floor seats, complimentary cocktails and more in honor of the 2014 Junior Board. Proceeds from the ticket sales benefited the Knock Out Abuse organization. [gallery ids="101809,139909,139913" nav="thumbs"]

Robert Devaney • July 2, 2014

Washington writer, classy gossip columnist and Capitol Hill resident Diana McLellan was laid to rest in Congressional Cemetery June 28. McLellan’s life was celebrated at the cemetery chapel with friends and family reciting poetry and recalling perfect dinners with her.

Jokes flew about her being buried among such famous Washingtonians to get the real stories. At the burial, her spreading a little more dirt around was a quip. Also, as family members placed flowers on the wicket-basket coffin, daughter Fiona Weeks placed a tube of lipstick on the coffin.

The repast was at the Capitol Hill Mr. Henry’s, one of McLellan’s favorite hang-outs.

At the memorial service, Roy Forey, a neighbor of Diana McLellan, read a poem, entitled, “A Night at Diana’s Table.”

It is reprinted below, with the author’s permission:

A Night at Diana’s Table

I was lucky enough to dine at Diana’s table.

The invite offered in the most casual terms — “just neighbors and friends and a peasants’ meal” — but it was more than that.

Welcomed and introduced to everyone, no one could ever be on the fringes.
Plied with liquor and opening chatter we were ushered into the dining area.

With candles dribbling hot wax and flickering in the inebriated air, Diana and Dick held court at each end of the table.

Diana disappeared behind the curtains and like Merlin from King Arthur’s court conjured up tureens, filled with wonderful vegetables, beans, and tender meat in a sauce that was always delicious.

Quickly we transformed into a huge debating table, where participants fought for their point of view. Speakers’ corner on octane, Algonquin on Constitution Avenue.

Then, as the wine flowed and some took to liqueurs, others lit up, engulfing us all and sending us in a time machine to the fifties.

On occasion, Edith might be persuaded to play the “old Joanna” and those of us with bigger egos than voices sang the memories of old.

We left Diana’s table without a care.
We were in the moment, and only our beds beckoned.

Of all the tables I have been invited to, Diana’s was the best. Not by an inch–by a mile.
Yes, the guests were great, the diversity, the stories, but it was the master of ceremonies, the conductor, the Air Commodore’s daughter who shone the brightest and made an invitation to her table one you would never turn down.

Erin Schaff •

Ford’s Theatre Society hosted a star-studded evening June 22 with appearances by VIPs of politics, business, stage and screen. Rep. John D. Dingell, D-Mich., and legendary actor James Earl Jones received the Lincoln Medal in recognition of their commitment to leadership and service. [gallery ids="116315,116332,116336,116342,116321,116327" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

The Newbabes invaded the Powerhouse event venue on Grace Street June 11. With Jill Biden as a special guest, the party got even more classy and benefited the cancer survivor program, SOS — Survivors Offering Support — at Georgetown University Hospital, which helps 800 women annually. [gallery ids="101790,140771,140779,140776" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

A powerful, emotional slice of America was on display June 17 at a naturalization ceremony at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and presentation of the Smithson Medal to designer Ralph Lauren. On hand was Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and potential 2016 presidential candidate, along with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the Smithsonian’s Wayne Clough and John Gray and Sarah Taylor of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Also on hand were Lauren’s family and 15 new Americans. [gallery ids="101791,140766,140763,140769" nav="thumbs"]

Georgetowner •

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society celebrated the close of the National Capital Area Man & Woman of the Year Campaign June 21 with a Grand Finale Gala. Gary DePreta, Director of Civilian Agencies at Cisco, and Evelyn Smallwood, General Manager at Ted Britt Ford, were the night’s big winners. Through 10 weeks of fundraising and relentless dedication to the mission, DePreta and Smallwood led 20 candidates who together raised $1.63 million, a new record for the National Capital Area Chapter of the LLS. [gallery ids="101793,140756,140754" nav="thumbs"]