party people

Under Chandeliers Hung from Towering Oaks, Menil Hosts Al Fresco 'Party in the Park'

Daniel Ortiz
Under Chandeliers Hung from Towering Oaks, Menil Hosts Al Fresco 'Party in the Park'

Cullen and Robert Muse

THE MENIL COLLECTION took advantage of milder weather to welcome some 300 yopro-type guests to its second annual al fresco fundraising dinner — Party in the Park.

The uniquely beautiful event — think crystal chandeliers and strands of twinkle light strung in the old, towering oaks in the park space adjacent to the famous museum — fittingly raises money “to ensure the museum’s green spaces, art buildings, and programs remain free and open to all,” says a rep for the event’s organizers. Django Foxtrot offered a lively, bluegrass-tinged playlist as a soundtrack.

Delicious nibbles by City Kitchen were both passed as hors d’oeuvres and dished out buffet-style at dinner stations. Highlights from the menu included miniature BLT sandwiches, cucumber cups with spicy pineapple salsa, braised beef short ribs served over jalapeño cheese grits pecan-crusted chicken, baby spinach salad and paella with saffron rice, shrimp and mussels. Mini pecan tarts, lemon bars, and Brandy Alexander cocktails turned up for dessert.

Co-chairs for the event, which boasted a till of $250,000, were Kiki and Taylor Landry, Laura and Keefer Lehner, Katy and Sandy Shurin, and Jennifer and David Strauss.

Sol and Jonathan Edwards

L.A. Martz and Om Pandya

Keefer and Laura Lehner and Kiki and Taylor Landry

Raquel Segal, Stephanie Cockrell and Amy Murchison

Katie McNearney, Victoria Salem and Orel Shoham

Django Foxtrot performs

Illa Gaunt and Capera Norinsky

James and Kimberly Bell and Kelly and Nick Silvers

The Scene outside the Menil

Chandler Moody, Jackson Smith, Stephanie Wong and Nick Stinson

James Hardy and Lauren Walstad Hardy

Joseph Doyle, Josephine Hill, Sara Cain and Michael McGinnis

David and Jen Strauss

Katy and Sandy Shurin

Lisa Helfman, Alexandra Butt and Morgan Garvey

Mike and Christina Van Booven

From Your Site Articles
Wellness+Giving Back
promoted

With Expertise in Blondes, Extensions and More, the Janelle Alexis Team Is a Go-To Salon

Al Torres
With Expertise in Blondes, Extensions and More, the Janelle Alexis Team Is a Go-To Salon

YOU CAN'T LIMIT Janelle to one title – Hairdresser. Her career and business has been established and built on a strong foundation. Using her two business degrees + one more in-process, this enables Janelle and the team to deliver not only a customer-focused experience, but a foundationally solid business. There is much more than meets the eye, and in sharing a little bit about Janelle, she was not only an international hair extension educator for over 14 years, but brings extensive expertise to blondes. She rounds this out with her previously launched namesake cosmetic line, which is a perfect complement to her belief that “Beauty is our Business”.

Keep ReadingShow less
parties

CityBook’s ‘Cool 100’ Bash at East River’s Brand New Le Tesserae a Huge Hit — Even in the Rain!

Jack Vielhauer, Cher Baker, Lindsay Yates, Sarah Smith, Aaron Matthews, Mario Gudmundsson

SEVERE WEATHER — NO, not the Derecho or Hurricane Beryl, but one of the other storms that have battered Houston this season — did its best to derail CityBook’s second annual “Cool 100” party. But hundreds of H-Town’s most notable VIPs and influencers braved the elements and made the event a smash.

Keep ReadingShow less
news

In the Wake of Beryl, Houston Animal Rescue Teams Up with Groups from Across the Country

HOUSTON WAS DEALING with crisis levels of pet homelessness before Hurricane Beryl wreaked havoc on the city. But this week, Houston PetSet coordinated with The Babinski Foundation, an animal shelter in Minnesota, to provide relief across multiple channels.
Keep ReadingShow less
People + Places