|
Category:
Published: September 2007
Each year Special Olympics NY holds one of Saratoga's premier summer events. Get the inside scoop on all the glitz, glamour and giving.
Saratoga Springs tends to be party central during racing season, and this year was no different. One event that truly stood out was the Satin, Silks & Stars Fire and Ice Gala, Saturday July 28th at The Saratoga Hotel, a benefit for Special Olympics NY. The benefit has always been racing season's premier opportunity to rub elbows with stars from stage and screen; this year's guests got a chance to get up close and personal with "The Rock."
Okay, not The Rock as in actor/wrestler Dwayne Johnson, but rather a stunning one carat loose diamond worth a whopping $7000, generously donated by Dennis Connelly of Connelly's Diamond Gallery in Latham. For a mere twenty dollars, guests could purchase a chance to walk out with this truly amazing piece of ice.
Thanks to the excitement surrounding the diamond and a live and silent auction that was the envy of other Saratoga social gatherings the 2007 gala was the organization's most successful ever. The event grossed more than $100,000 to support year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Honorary co-chairs, Neil Golub of Price Chopper (with his wife, Jane), and Wayne Hewett, president and CEO of Momentive Performance Materials (with his wife, Simonne), welcomed 210 dapper guests to the black-tie event which was beautifully decorated by Michael Panza of Fine Affairs.
The evening started with a dazzling silent auction that included items from the worlds of sports and entertainment, including a green jacket from the Masters Golf Tournament, signed by 20 former winners; a banner signed by current and former Yankee greats; a game-worn Yankees cap, signed by Joe Torre; VIP tickets to SPAC concerts; signed guitars from The Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi; a "Sopranos" jacket; and a poster signed by the cast of "Pirates of the Caribbean." Highlights of the evening's live auction were a lunch with the Bacon Brothers Band (Actor Kevin Bacon, and his brother, Michael), and a week at a beautiful condo in Cape Cod. Hewett also rallied guests to sponsor Special Olympics athletes at $300 each. The Hewetts and Golubs got the ball rolling, sponsoring 20 athletes each, and Saratoga's premiere socialite, Marylou Whitney, elegant in black, quickly followed suit. Altogether, 177 athletes were sponsored in just ten minutes.
As events moved into the Saratoga's main ballroom, guests were treated to a wonderful dinner of filet mignon and scallops, and learned about the good works of Special Olympics from guest emcees John Gray and Yolanda Vega. The duo also introduced to some of the celebrities in attendance, including Michael Bacon, television and stage actor Thom Christopher ("One Life to Live"), and actress Betsy Palmer ("The Long Gray Line," "Mister Roberts," "Friday the 13th").
After dinner, partygoers were offered a chance to win the diamond donated by Connelly's Diamond Gallery. For twenty dollars they got their chance to reach into an opaque vase filled with stones, in hopes of pulling out one of 50 amber stones for a chance in the final round. Those that made it to the final round took part in a game of "heads or tails." Participants were asked to place their hands on their heads or "tails." Gray flipped a coin, and if the coin landed on heads, everyone with their hands on their heads moved to the next round. Within two minutes, the 50 hopefuls were whittled down to two. The pair was then asked to stand back to back for the final round. Oddly enough, the two continued to put their hands on the exact same body part for the following eight tries, much to the exasperation of Gray and Vega. Eventually, Neil Bacon, son of Michael, emerged victorious.
Guests then danced the night away to the music of T.S. Ensemble.
Among the well-heeled group were Marylou Whitney and her husband, John Hendrickson; Michelle and Ron Riggi (who purchased the lunch with the Bacon Brothers); Ed and Maureen Lewi; Frank and Sherry Mitola of Clifton Park (winning bidders on the Bon Jovi guitar); Liz Bishop; John and Paula Gilooly; Anthony and Joan Mitola; Tom and Fonda Albertrani; Niall and Stephanie Brennan; Dennis and Cindy Connelly; jockey Javier Castellano and his wife, Abby; Keith and Cyndi Leonard; Stephen and Nicole Mitola; Vince and Arlene Guarino; Jack Casiere (high bidder on The Rolling Stones guitar); Eileen Guarino; Karla Leonard; Joanne DiMarco; and Michael and Lisa Dean (winners of the Masters jacket).
The weekend event also included the Silks & Satins 5k run through downtown Saratoga Springs early Saturday, and wrapped up with the At The Rail Luncheon at the Saratoga Race Course.
|
