Whether it was an accident or by choice, the 2019 Cattle Baron’s Ball Underwriter Party took place on Friday, September 13, with a full moon. As the crowd grew and grew to a whopping 300 over at Kristi and Patrick Sands‘ Highland Park home, the orange ball in the sky quietly moved to be just in the right spot as a Texas-sized decoration.
2019 CBB Co-Chairs Wendy Messmann and Lisa Shirley had their smiles working in overdrive greeting people. The gals had no problem in what to wear for the evening: T-shirts reading “Just A Girl Who Loves Keith,” as in 2019 CBB featured entertainer Keith Urban.
When the question was asked where Kristi and Patrick were, someone pointed to the outdoor terrace filled with guests being cooled by a blower by the bar. But finding the couple in the crowd was like looking for a couple of contact lenses in a shag rug.
Just getting to the backyard was a feat in itself. The rooms were filled with folks like Jimmie Westcott, Annika Cail, Anne Davidson with Mark Porter, Nancy Gopez, Megan Flanagan, 2012 CBB Co-Chair Kristen Johnston Sanger, Samantha Wortley and Amanda Shufeldt! So much so that The Capital Grille staff was set up in the side terrace, and the kitchen was starting to get cozy. Laura and Dennis Moon and Sarah and Will Groves had claimed a place by the door leading to the terrace, where the Capital Grille folks were cooking up a storm. Across the way, Daniella Giglio and 2020 CBB Co-Chair Diana Hamilton, and Lora Farris were holding their own next to the family room, where people were lined up at the bar.
When asked if Diana and her 2020 CBB Co-Chair Heather Randall had started assigning duties for the American Cancer Society fundraiser, Diana laughed, “No!” Seems that Diana and Heather were co-chairing along with Andrea Nayfa the 2019 underwriting committee. Once that mission was accomplished, they would shift their focus to next year.
In the crowd were 2019 Crystal Charity Ball Ten Best Dressed Fashion Show guests who were still ready to party, like Barbara Daseke, 2015 CBB Co-Chair Mary Martha Pickens and 2016 CBB Co-Chair Cara French with their husbands, Don Daseke, John Pickens and Jim French, respectively.
As long as the day had been for Cara, who was a 2019 Best Dresser, she and Jim had an important day ahead of them. Their nine-year-old King Charles Spaniel Purdy had shown signs of a stroke. That in addition to having some heart issues had them heading to Trinity Mills to see a canine cardiologist.