Some things usually don’t mix well. For instance, trophy wives and first wives. Love handles and speedos. You get the drift. One of those situation took place the evening of Saturday, March 21. What was the non-mix? Fragile silk frocks, delicate stilettos—and rain. No, it wasn’t the downpour type. Think drip-drop drizzle. But even that wasn’t the problem, or it shouldn’t have been. It was the coordination of getting guests from cars to the front door.
But let’s not get too far ahead of the story.
The Ronald McDonald House of Dallas’ “Under the Moonlight” Co-Chairs Cate Ford and Lauren Swann decided to shift directions. Instead of doing the black-tie fundraiser at Brook Hollow as usual, they opted to head across the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge to 3015 Trinity Groves and a more relaxed attire. Seemed to make perfect sense, and many of the fellas like Norm Bagwell really liked the idea. Along with the change of venue, so an adjustment was made to the theme — “Under the Moonlight at Trinity Groves.”
Then word came that they were locked into using the Trinity valet. Still no problem. But then the rains fell and the usual Saturday-night traffic for the Groves’ restaurants arrived about the same time as the “Moonlighters.” The valets found themselves lacking in numbers. To make matters worse, the valet check-in tent was more than three SUV’s lengths away from the 3015 entry.
A lone chap with a lone umbrella provided coverage for any guests bailing near the entrance, as the cars waited their turn to edge slowly to the valet tent. Otherwise, it was a wait until the vehicle was taken over by the car parker at the tent. Then it was a hustle to the entry through puddles and rain on your own.
Guests rushed past the fella with the umbrella into the exterior tented entry where Honorary Co-Chairs Vera and Tony Bang were greeting guests. Luckily, a couple of accommodating folks warned guests to “watch your step, please,” as they stepped down from the tent into the building.
Unlike the slow moving parking situation, the energy level inside was immediately set by The Phonophreaks playing Latin jazz techno music with Co-Chair Cate and Jeremy Ford chatting with Katie and Nathan Walters nearby.
Before the seated dinner for about 320 prepared by Chef Sharon Van Meter was served, Co-Chair Lauren Swann and husband Stephen Swann and longtime Ronald McDonald supporters Honorary Co-Chairs Cecilie and Ronnie Holman, Pam and Vin Perella and Jean and Dr. Dale Fuller found themselves surrounded by friends.
Evidently the soggy start didn’t dampen the live auction that included trips, sports outings, dining packages and tickets to the Kenny Chesney concert at AT&T Stadium.