The “Whitney Zoo-To-Do” is May 4 this year, and you want to start planning your outfit now! We are celebrating the return of the lions to the zoo, thanks to Joy and Boysie Bollinger! We are thrilled to present our cover models: “Whitney Zoo-To-Do” Chair Stephanie Feoli, “Zoo-To-Do for Kids” Chair Malise Kearney, Clifton LeBlanc from Lexus of New Orleans and Philip Gordillo from presenting sponsor Whitney Bank. They are promising an elegant night of fine dining with samplings of the best food and cocktails from our most famous New Orleans restaurants and featured entertainment from The Big Beyond and Big Sam’s Funky Nation on the main stage and Bon Bon Vivant at Cooper Plaza! It is a night you won’t forget! The 30th annual “Zoo-To-Do for Kids” on April 27 precedes the main gala and features food, musical entertainment, crafts, arcade games, face painters, crafts and inflatables.
Call 861-6160 for tickets, and for more information on “Zoo-To-Do for Kids” visit AudubonNatureInstitute.org/ztdk, and for “Whitney Zoo-To-Do,” visit AudubonNatureInstitute.org/ztd. It isn’t too late to be a Patron! The “Zoo-To-Do” events generate more than $1 million annually for our world-class zoo that operates a family of museums, parks and research facilities dedicated to the wonders of nature.
Another favorite fundraiser is “Art in Bloom,” which is March 15-18 at NOMA, so check out my column with all of the details. This fundraiser supports the New Orleans Museum of Art and the projects of the New Orleans Garden Study Club, and displays the creativity that abounds in our city!
Be sure to look at our Debutante Snapshots from three parties honoring Shelby Jane Ottley White, Mary Elizabeth Conwill, Jane Tally Hodges, Mary Fleming England Redd and Sarah Jane Holbrook Freeman. There were so many beautiful parties for this year’s debutantes that we couldn’t include them all, but here is a sampling of some of the best!
Le Petit Théâtre, in conjunction with the New Orleans Tricentennial and the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, presents Tennessee Williams’ searing and iconic play, A Streetcar Named Desire March 9-25. The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival will be returning to the French Quarter March 21-25. Buy your tickets now for theatrical performances, writer’s craft sessions with award-winning authors, literary discussions and plenty more. Visit TennesseeWilliams.net for tickets and festival information. It is also a great resource to prepare for the Stella Shouting contest! Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – the easiest and quickest way to learn about festival surprises and lineup additions!
Now that Mardi Gras is over, it’s time to freshen up our homes and condos with great new pieces. Look at What’s Hot for Home Décor for eclectic design elements, and to our feature on spring “Home Renewal” for tips from seven local experts perfect to spruce up your space.
This month New Orleans Opera celebrates the New Orleans Tricentennial with Champion: An Opera in Jazz, by Grammy-award winning composer and New Orleans native Terence Blanchard! Bringing together our richest musical traditions in a single work, Champion is a cultural highlight of this special birthday year, which is also the 75th anniversary of New Orleans Opera. The opera pays tribute to the human spirit through the story of Emile Griffith, a boxer from the 1960s who struggles with identity, society and his own violent profession. Performances take place March 9 and 11 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater; tickets start at $26 and are available at NewOrleansOpera.org/Champion or by calling 529-3000. Patron benefits from $1,000 – email diamondjubilee@neworleansopera.org or call 208-8376 for more information!
Beverly Reese Church
It’s the 10th anniversary of “Hogs for the Cause,” the annual charity barbecue cook-off and musical festival! It is March 23-24 at UNO Lakefront Arena Field, and you’ll be tasting the best barbecue and listening to a musical line-up including: NMO, Turnpike Troubadours, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and The Steeldrivers and Tyler Childers. There is a new Craft Beer Hall as well, and it’s all to help spread the word about pediatric brain cancer and is raising money to help those affected by it! Visit HogsForTheCause.org to learn more.
Looking back on some of our wonderful wedding celebrations we wanted to thank Rudy and Liz Revuelta for hosting the beautiful ceremony and reception for their daughter, Jessica and Michael Eastman, at our fabulous Audubon Zoo! Pictured here are Gabby and David Revuelta, Michael and Jessica Eastman and Rudy and Liz Revuelta.
