By all measures the Shomrei Celebrates . . . Aileen Grossberg event was a big success. One hundred and thirty people feted our amazing Aileen, ate John Lasiter’s stupendous dinner, imbibed the best whiskey money could buy, watched a fun-filled video tribute produced by Fran Legman and Nick Levitin, and heard our resident poet laureate Judy Wildman read a tribute to our honoree. Everyone mingled happily in this loving atmosphere. The centerpieces, designed by Nancy Beslin and Carol Cathey, were the height of creativity, reflecting two of Aileen’s major areas of interest – books and cooking. Candles on each table conveyed intimacy and romance.
But as your grandmother may have warned you when you were small – don’t play with matches . . . especially when the table centerpiece is made of pages from a very old hardbound book. While most of the guests were tasting succulent hors d’oeuvres and sipping Proseco in the Gallery, Carlos and Armando were putting out a fire in the social hall. Luckily, the alert action of our custodians minimized the damage; the librarian in Aileen never missed the lost literature; the party did not miss a beat. Our unparalleled decorating committee assembled a substitute centerpiece in a nonce and few party-goers were ever aware of the mishap during the cocktail hour. So teamwork and swift action saved the day.
The tablecloth fire only presaged the hot time all had at this very successful Shomrei Celebrates event.
Thank you to all fifty volunteers who helped to make this a Shomrei evening to remember.
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