After years of observing previous Crystal Charity Balls, 2024 CCB Chair Cheryl Joyner smartly decided to make the guests’ arrival go more smoothly for her fundraising gala, themed “New York Holiday,” on Saturday, December 7, at the Hilton Anatole Dallas. In a nutshell, event photographers and servers with drink trays were asked to stay away from the entrance as the evening’s 1,531 guests streamed in.
But, leave it to Ma Nature to throw a wrench into the best-laid plans.
Early on the weather had been cloudy, with just a hint of itty-bitty drizzle. But that wasn’t to last. With the Ball not due to start officially until 7 p.m., the skies opened up at 6 p.m., pouring buckets of water on North Texas … and the arriving black-tie set.
Despite the usual North Texas mantra, “We can always use the rain,” in this case, too much was way too much. For the Jimmy Choo, silk/satin and coiffured beautiful people, it was a wet-and-wild survival test. Instead of 21st century Sir Walter Raleighs being needed, the Anatole crew came through using blowers in an attempt to blast away the splash pool.
As bad as the flooded driveway had been for the velvet evening slippers and crepe satin stilettos, the tented walkway was an overhead minefield of major drips and splats.
At the same time, word was making the rounds inside the hotel that arrivals in both the ride share and valet lines were aging in place. The lengthy jam-up resulted from a trio of events taking place at the Anatole: the CCB itself, a super-mega party in the Trinity Ballroom, and preparations for the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings, opening the next day.
On the good-news side, the backup provided some incredible fodder for party conversation. Guests regaled each other with tales of their lengthy waits: 40 minutes for Claire and Dwight Emanuelson, 45 minutes for Susan and John Farris, 80 minutes for another couple. One cowboy-type boasted how he’d made an end run around the lined-up cars, ignoring protocol and all types of “naysayers” to get his gal to the ball on time.
Then again, the long waits in their cars did allow guests to catch radio broadcasts of the Texas-Georgia and SMU-Clemson football games. Alas, the defeat of both the Ponies and the ‘Horns didn’t exactly lift partygoers’ spirits.
Once inside, another issue arose when it was discovered that guests headed for the mega-party in the Trinity were having to make their way through the Chantilly Ballroom lobby, where the CCB cocktail reception was underway. It could have been worse, though, if not for Cheryl’s decision to restrict photographers from shooting the arriving guests.
Luckily, attendees were cheered by the imaginative decor adhering to the Big Apple theme, from the silent auction of Fifth Avenue luxury items at one end of the lobby, to the NYC Holiday Boutique and Cafe Carlyle Casino providing fun and games at the other.
Nearby stood the evening’s raffle car from Sewell, a 2024 Ineos Grenadier. Faces also brightened up for both the NorthPark Center-sponsored Radio City Glam Cam and the James French portraits.
As “Santa Baby” started playing over the sound system, guests hit the bar and began promenading through the lobby, past the pairs of skaters in makeshift “Central Park” mini-ice rinks by the Conservatory, pausing at the buffets laden with bagel lox crostini, eggs Benedict deviled eggs and ginormous shrimp. Wise were those who chowed down on the scrumptious seafood and other delectables — but more about that later.
As always, the CCB fashions were scrumptious as well. Designs by Dallas’ own Patti Flowers and Michael Faircloth seemed to predominate, with Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and Pamela Roland showing fashionably and respectably, too.
Guests resplendent in Patti included Chair Cheryl, Kim Quinn, Anne McPherson (she was celebrating her birthday, to boot), Gail Chaney, Lisa Cooley, San Antonio’s Valerie Lester with her daughter Caitlin Lester Holcomb and Lois Glasgow.
Among the Michael aficionados were 2026 CCB Chair Mary Martha Pickens, Libby Allred and red-haired twins Tiffany Divis and Tammy Duclow.
Pam Perella, Amy Hegi, Victoria Snee and Kristen Sanger rocked their Herreras, while Sunie Solomon and Kim Hext were Oscar winners. Wearing Roland were Lisa Singleton, Melinda Knowles and Tracey Kozmetsky, whose guests included Houston’s Christine and Shea Morenz (he’s a former UT quarterback) and Kasey and Todd Lemkin (Kasey has a bespoke cowboy-boot brand).
Other designers were proudly worn as well, including 2026 CCB Chair Jennifer Dix in Nardos; Gail Fischer and Lindsay Ballotta in Safiyaa; Claire Emanuelson in Monique, Linda Secrest in Valentino, Monica Christopher in Jenny Packham, Susan Farris in Rene Ruiz and Calvert Collins-Bratton in Herve Leger.
Oh, and the jewels of the night glittered, thanks to Bachendorf’s, Diamonds Direct, Eiseman Jewels, LHS Designs, Neiman Marcus, Sue Gragg and a variety of inherited pieces.
Speaking of hand-me-downs: Leiber clutches held their own in the sparkle department, proving to be handy for Cheryl J., Gail F., Tracey K., Lisa C., Sunie S., Kim H., Pam P., Anne McP., Claire E., Monica C., Patti F. and Melinda K. Others being held in manicured hands were Valentino (Victoria S.), Christian Dior (Linda S.), Jimmy Choo ( Kristen S.), Oscar (Lisa S.), Sophia Webster (Susan F.) and Chanel (Pat McEvoy).
The gents, meantime, seemed to be favoring tuxes by Brioni (Ladd Sanger and Clay Cooley), Zegna (Richard Joyner, Les Secrest and John McPherson), Hadleigh ( Dwight Emanuelson), Tom Ford (Greg Hext and Vin Perella), Canali (Ray Ballotta and Brent Christopher), Brunello (Steve Solomon) and Ralph Lauren (Mark Knowles).
Just as the cocktail reception was winding down, a tradition was unfolding on the lobby staircase, with past CCB chairs gathering for their annual group photo. Although a bit delayed due to 2022 Chair Susan Farris being part of the valet jam-up, the shot (which had to be snapped before the ballroom opened) was finally taken after everyone waited as long as they could.
Once the Chantilly doors were thrown open, but before the guests could make their way to their tables in this winter wonderful land, the Kilgore Rangerettes stopped all traffic in their silver sequins with a spirited, high-kicking holiday routine a la New York’s iconic Radio City Rockettes.
After the performance, guests headed for their tables and their first good look at the Tom Addis-designed ballroom. It perfectly conveyed a winter holiday in New York, with walls bathed in icy blue draping, silvery chairs and “trees” sparkling a la Central Park during the holidays, and a dance floor reminiscent of a huge ice skating rink, with the CCB logo in the center. It soon would be filled with guests dancing up a storm.
Beholding the elegant long Chair’s table — topped with an icy reindeer sculpture atop a mirrored table surrounded by layers of ginormous white snowflakes — Cheryl turned to Tom and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, this is phenomenal. Look at all these twinkle lights. They’re so beautiful. Thank you!”
Next would come dinner and a workout of carving.
The reviews of the dinner were painfully hardcore.
Perhaps a chuckwagon cowboy had commandeered the kitchen on December 7, with the guests’ beef looking like well-worn shoe leather requiring a lumberjack to cut through it. The only soft spots were the joints of fat wedged into the meat.
A trio of too-well-roasted Brussels sprouts seemed to have been the victims of a blazing campfire. Adding to the knife workout was the Newberg’s puff pastry. One person, wondering aloud if it had been made of some sort of plastic, simply plunged their fork into the bit of lobster and followed it up with the mushroom.
And it didn’t help matters that the knives seemed not up to the battle. They seemed more attuned to buttering the rolls that became a major source of sustenance. Alas, the couple of pads of butter on the table simply weren’t enough to go around.
One longtime underwriter registered his/her disappointment in the meal. Another, trying to make a joke about the steak, wondered if s/he should have asked for some A-1 Steak Sauce. One former chair simply shot a look to a friend at another table. No words were necessary.
However, while not excusing the issues of the night, a CCB veteran said they should not reflect on Cheryl’s leadership or the committee. They couldn’t be responsible for the rain, the long wait in line or the college football losses, after all.
But what about the dinner? Insiders reported that, during the planning stages, the New York Strip Steaks were juicy, and the Lobster Newberg was delicious in presentation and taste. While impressed, Cheryl raised the question — twice — whether the entrees served at the tasting could actually be prepared to the satisfaction of more than 1,500 guests. She was assured that it not only could be, but would be.
Evidently, the kitchen didn’t get the memo.
Luckily, the 2024 Crystal Charity Ball’s goal of $$7,093,665 for Dallas County children’s non-profit beneficiaries (Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, HHM Health, Methodist Health System Foundation, Parkland Health Foundation, The Center for Integrative Counseling and Psychology, Traffick911 and Vogel Alcove) was also assured — and achieved.
For more looks of the night, check out MySweetCharity Photo Gallery.