Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 4, 1992 TAG: 9202040148
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Kathleen Wilson
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
GOURMET GALA IS TRULY A PREMIER SOCIAL EVENT
There are two types of men in this world: those who own and those who rent. Tuxedos, that is.The 10th annual March of Dimes Gourmet Gala, held Saturday at the Roanoke Airport Marriott, was attended by a very distinguished group of men who definitely own.
But enough about tuxes. They all look alike, anyway. Let's get down to serious issues, like what women were wearing.
That dress! That dress! I must have that dress!
I finally caught up with Susan Nelms Halliburton and her golden gown. Covered from top to bottom with quarter-moon crescent-shaped spangles, this dress moved in every direction and swooshed when Halliburton moved. Her emerald-cut diamond necklace was almost as eye-catching as her dress, and yes, it was real!
Lang Jones was stunning in a cobalt blue strapless gown with a sequined bodice. And Elaine Bell's glamorous ecru gown was just beyond description other than to say it's one of those dresses every woman hopes one day to own, let alone have occasion to wear.
The all-day affair began inside seven cooking stations constructed by students at the Arnold R. Burton Technology Center in Salem and designed with a Rogers and Hammerstein musical motif by American Society of Interior Design student chapter members. "Celebrity chef" duos competed for prizes by cooking up hors d'oeuvres in booths whose themes were from some of the best-known Broadway shows: "The King and I," "The Sound of Music," "Showboat," "Annie," "Flower Drum Song," "South Pacific" and "Oklahoma."
Topped off with a $100-a-plate dinner, an awards ceremony and a dance, the March of Dimes Gala is the social event/cause celebre of the year.
Garbed in elegant hand-painted aprons by Lesleigh that covered their evening attire, the competitors were Mr. and Mrs. Charles Simmons, Mr. and Mrs. Garnett Smith, Dr. and Mrs. Kellogg Hunt, Susan Ritter and Bill Russell, Susan Byrne and Mary Marshall, Drs. Joseph and Linda Nelson, and Mr. and Mrs. Marcus Fink.
The Hunts' Shiitake Mushroom Parfait was the runaway hit, winning the People's Choice and Best in Show awards for food as well as Best in Show for their "Showboat" booth.
And if that weren't enough, Food & Wine magazine's Diana Stugis judged the Hunts' hors d'oeuvres its Best of Show. The couple won an Orrefors champagne cooler, four Orrefors crystal flutes and a magnum of Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne.
(Dr. and Mrs. Hunt: When you crack open that Magnum, can we come mingle?)
Mingling has several awards of our own we'd like to bestow upon Marc and Suzy Fink, who didn't win anything significant, for Pete's sake.
Anyone who can come up with a way to top potato pancakes with sour cream or apple sauce and a dollop of caviar deserves some recognition. These were delicious. I also give Suzy big points for stepping out of her elegant shoes, tossing them aside and serving the March of Dimes folks in her bare feet. Marc also belted out a short, but very memorable bit of "Oklahoma!" - even after swearing he would not sing.
Now that's show biz.
According to the banquet staff at the Marriott, the March of Dimes Gala is its most prestigious event.
"Each gala just seems to top the one before," said Jeff Martin, senior banquet captain. "Each year they just get more and more flamboyant."
That's not to say it's just some high-society get-together. Of the money raised, $20,000 will be split equally between the local and national March of Dimes organizations.
"It's the kind of affair that shows society does really care," said Marriott banquet manager Judy Roberts. "This may be a small town, but at events like this you can see we have class."
Class indeed.
He's named Dodger, after the baseball team that made its way to Los Angeles via Brooklyn. But this 12-year-old dog might also be named for Charles Dickens' cunning and mischievous Artful Dodger from "Oliver Twist."
Dodger may be the only canine on this planet who throws an annual Groundhog's Day party.
The legend - which gets more biblical in proportion as years pass - has it that Dodger was attacked by a groundhog right in his own Salem backyard.
As described by Dodger's owner and spokesperson, Roanoke College history professor Mark Miller, you'd think this was akin to "The Thrilla in Manila."
Eyewitnesses remember it as an atomic fight between the reported 50-pound groundhog and Dodger, whose breed is described as an "American Brown."
Dodger celebrates his hound-over-hog victory annually, and last Saturday's shindig was attended by 75 or so who quaffed more than a few brews in the Millers' basement, commonly known as The Bunker, which is absolutely the tackiest room in the world.
Filled with what Miller describes as "crass and tacky objets d'art," it's one of those manly men rooms.
The Millers boast "a stunning collection of lawn art," which includes an iridescent glass blue ball on a pedestal - spotlighted for effect; also, a "breathtaking" set of flashing pig lights - "like Christmas lights, only they're pigs"; a rotating collection of bad beer cans; and, of course, the tacky beach section, showcasing decorative nets, inflatable balls and assorted shells.
In the world of tuxedos, The Bunker is a haven for those who rent.
THE PARTY LINE: If you'd like to invite free-lance Mingling columnist Kathleen Wilson to a party or social gathering, call her at 981-3434; when asked for the mailbox, dial MING (6464) and press the key. Then leave a message as directed. Or write her in care of the Features Department, Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491.