Charleston magazine Society blog

A trio of festive events made for a great evening on the town last Thursday. I started out at Marion Square with Jan and Larry Lipov, the local philanthropists responsible for bring the majestic Anheuser-Busch clydesdales to town as a holiday gift to the people Charleston. Larry is the president of Pearlstine Distributors, and he worked for almost a year to secure a spot of the clydesdales’ calendar. The caravan recently appeared in the Macy’s Day Parade, and it was a real treat to have that caliber of showmanship in the Mt. Pleasant Christmas Parade on Sunday. Between the horses’ red stable and the twinkling lights in the park’s trees, Marion Square looked like a holiday wonderland.

From there, it was a short walk to Charleston Place where a dozen wreaths were auctioned off to benefit MUSC Children’s Hospital. The wreaths were decorated by some of the city’s more colorful personalities, and they were on display in various locations around the hotel. Guests sipped on champagne and enjoyed hot hors d’oeuvres while strolling from store to store.

I then skipped over to the City Waterfront Gallery for the unveiling of the 2007 Food + Wine Festival poster. Hosts Denise Barto and Mitchell Crosby delighted guests by recreating recipes from Charleston’s venerated restaurants of yesteryear. My particular favorite was the Goodie House chocolate pie, which brought back memories of sugary treats on the way home from high school. Yum! Designer Justin Harris was named poster winner, and you can check out his design in this month’s issue of the magazine.

I rounded out the night at the kick-off party for the Food + Wine Festival’s younger patrons, dubbed the Bon Vivants, held in the lobby of the Market Pavilion Hotel. Committee members donned aprons, and guests beamed in the glow of the Peace Tree’s beautiful lights. Clubs for young patrons are certainly in fashion this year.

This weekend marked the wildly successful annual Shopping With Friends events, which raise money in support of Lowcountry AIDS Services. I was busy running the Kiawah half marathon, so Charleston magazine intern Ashley Gallman and entertaining style editor Mitchell Crosby shared their impressions of the Saturday morning brunch; it sounds like a stellar morning!

Caritas.
Ida

Ashley Gallman reported the following:

The annual Shopping With Friends brunch kicked off this year to the tune of champagne fizzing and bacon sizzling at the Renaissance Hotel. The event provided guests with a series of opportunities that would allow them to aid the Lowcountry AIDS Services, including a spirited auction lead by the event’s organizer Karen Siegel and the Drive’s Holly Anderson, shopping raffles, and a special cocktail party at Saks Fifth Avenue the evening before. Overall, Shopping with Friends provided a full weekend that encouraged tremendous contributions to the LAS, while throwing some fun and revelry into the mix as well.

While Charleston magazine contributing editor
Mitchell Crosby had this to say about the brunch:

Dear Ida,

I hope that the run at Kiawah was fun. You were missed at the Shopping with Friends Brunch at the Renaissance Hotel. Let me tell you about it!

Director of sales Bryan Thompson and general manager Dannette Williams really stepped up the proverbial plate by arranging hotel accommodations to all of the live auction items; the Los Angeles package featuring tickets to the Ellen show and the Chicago package featured tickets to the Oprah show— both were paired with luxe accommodations.

The morning was flush with spontaneity. Terri Henning took the microphone and offered a party for 24 guests at her lovely apartment atop the People’s Building, which sold for thousands of dollars. Former Hollywood creative people Charleston transplants Matt Pugliese and Tom O’Connor also spiced up the Los Angeles package by offering VIP tickets and backstage passes to the Jay Leno show in the midst of the auction itself. Amazing what a simple phone call to the right people can procure.

With enthusiastic Lowcountry AIDS director Brad Childs and his staff to welcome all guests, and the co-chairs of Karen Siegel and Jan Lipov who each had their very best friends there to bid and support the cause, one could ONLY have a great time. Fashion diva and Charleston magazine style editor Ayoka Lucas was in place offering an amazing package that she put together of accessories and gift certificates from all of the hip boutiques in town.

How nice that Charlestonians came out on December 9th and made a difference to help those afflicted with this dreadful disease, as well as to teach the community how not to contract it in the future.

All the best,
Mitchell

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