Please put Saturday, June 15, on your calendar for The American Heart Association’s “Heart & Soul Gala,” which will be held at the Hyatt Regency on Loyola Avenue! Thanks so much to Co-Chairs Dr. Gerry Cvitanovich and Jessica Brandt who promise a night to remember! Thanks also to Patron Chair Diane Hollis and Honoree and Speaker Jennifer Hale. The gala begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail hour and silent auction. A scrumptious dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. followed by a live auction and car raffle of a 2019 Camry donated by the Ray and Jessica Brandt Family Foundation. Tickets are $250 each and can be purchased by visiting NewOrleansHeartBall.heart.org. At 8:30 p.m., Jennifer Hale, who has cardiomyopathy, will be the Open My Heart Speaker and will share her story about how research has saved her life, and at 9 p.m. there will be a band and dancing!
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women in this country and in Louisiana, and the “Heart & Soul Gala” is an evening dedicated to sparking awareness and raising funds to fight cardiovascular disease and stroke. The gala raises funds for educational research, CPR training and certification, placement of automated external defibrillators and funding for groundbreaking medical research. You don’t want to miss this important and life-saving party!
One of our favorite annual features, “Encore! The Past Social Season in Review” offers the best of the many fundraisers put on by volunteers in our city and is written by one of the best fundraisers this city has ever seen: Dana Hansel! Make sure to look at her “Mosts” list and add them to your calendar.
Check out What’s Hot for Children’s Chic to have your children looking their best during the long hot summer; You’ll get ideas about clothes, shoes and accessories from our best stores!
Skincare is something everyone cares about at every age and you’ll see photos of the latest in skincare, locally and beyond.
Be sure to check out Part Two of Elizabeth and Clarke Swanson’s 50th anniversary in New Orleans in my Entertaining column!
The annual FestiGals Celebration of Women Conference will take place June 20-22 at the New Orleans Jung Hotel, featuring dynamic speakers, a women’s vendor showcase, networking and a keynote address by Cajun fiddler and recording artist Amanda Shaw at the “Hats Off Luncheon,” which supports the American Heart Association. Shaw also leads the FestiGals’ “Step Up, Step Out Second-line Parade,” which shines a light on heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women. For details about the women-centric celebration, visit FestiGals.org.
I am so sad to report the loss of Mary Irene Scoggin, who was a force for good and helped every fundraiser there was for City Park, especially with the Botanical Garden. She should have been on Broadway and starred in many theatrical productions, but we were lucky to have her star as Edith Piaf several times and she sang every word in perfect French! She will be missed!
Have a great vacation season!
The Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s “Magnolia Ball is Saturday, June 8. Pictured here are last year’s Chairs Emily Shaya, Chad Graci, Andrew Freeman, Jessie Schott Haynes and David T. Baker; this year’s Chairs are Ariel and L. Kasimu Harris, Jessie Schott Haynes, Stuart Hurt, Sarah Martzolf and Cameron Elizabeth McHarg. The ball will celebrate the current exhibition “Piercing the Inner Wall: The Art of Dusti Bonge,” and will bring to life Bonge’s Surrealist “Circus Series” with a festive circus theme! There will be a diverse group of cuisine and cocktails, and entertainment for the evening will include Alexis and the Samurai, DJ’d: Ann Glaviano, Nesby Phips, Otto, Slumflower and Sporty’s Brass Band. There also will be a special performance by Krewe des Fleurs. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 539-9604 or visit OgdenMuseum.org/magnoliaball.
