Mother Nature was on her best behavior Wednesday, April 18. Or, — perhaps it’s always that way at Beth and Fin Ewing’s Park Cities home. As Beth greeted the guests, she had Jackson under one arm. Beth admitted after seeing Verdell in “As Good As It Gets,” she had to have a Brussels Griffon. And to balance the Ewing canine collection, Jackson’s pal, All-American mix Greico, made the rounds with tail wagging.
But the night was not for pooches. It was for the 2018 Crystal Charity Ball theme announcement. And just like the 2018 CCB Advisory Party on Thursday, April 5, the guests gathered around the pool and the covered terrace to learn what 2018 CCB Chair Claire Emanuelson had up her designer sleeves.
After evening sponsor Texas Capital Bank President/CEO Keith Cargill congratulated the effort of the CCB to support Dallas children’s charities, Claire returned to the mic telling how she had selected the theme based on her New Orleans roots. On an even more personal note, she added that her late mother had been French born in Orléans, where Joan of Arc had been born. So blending the love of her mother and New Orleans and in honor of the Crescent City’s 300th anniversary, the theme would be “A Celebration in Nouvelle-Orléans.”
To execute the theme, she was working with Catherine New of the Hilton Anatole (shout out: “Love your new haircut!”), Junior Villanueva at Garden Gate, Jamie Furrate at Curtis Specialized Moving, Will Williams of Lambert’s and CCB mainstay event planner Tom Addis.
In addition to Tom and CCB committee members Heather Furniss and Muffin Lemak, Claire has recruited Niven Morgan and Shelby Wagner as conseiller.
Just as Claire was ending her announcement to applause, a mini-band from 2018 CCB Beneficiary Booker T. Washington High School appeared around the corner from the estate’s putting green. As the musicians paraded around the pool, hurricanes were served on trays to the guests like Sara Lee and Stan Gardner, Margaret and Lester Keliher, Delilah and Sam Boyd, Kim and Terry Quinn, Susan and John Farris and Angie Kadesky taking cell-shots.
Speaking of hurricanes, Niven reported that he had just returned from the Shreveport Cotillion which had been the victim of a mini-hurricane. But the party carried on in Louisiana fashion… Piper and Mike Wyatt were talking about their new Instagram find — a women who had adopted two foxes… Beth Thoele was receiving congrats from Shelle Sills, Cheryl Joyner and Laura Downing for her chairing the Callier Cares Luncheon the day before.
Word was making the rounds that the 2018 Ten Best Dressed was already past the 4/5 point in reservations thanks to underwriters.