Black Tie & Tales

+ Roxie steals the show at bachelorette party
It’s an old showbiz adage: Never perform with kids or dogs. Jamie Day and Katherine Alexandra learned it the hard way when Roxie-the-pug stole their show Tuesday, April 24. They were performing at the bachelorette party that Kim Githler and Margaret Wise threw for Yara Shoemaker at Kim’s house. It turns out that the dog dances, so when the music started, Roxie danced. The party theme was “Yara’s Knight in Venice,” because that’s where Dr. David Shoemaker proposed to her. The ladies feasted on insalata Syriana, and a secondi piatti of chateaubriand and Maine lobster stuffed with shiitake mushrooms. Mollie Nelson led a round of trivia on famous romantic movie moments. Partiers included Yara’s mom, Radia Daoud; sister-in-law, Brittany Duve al Mehrz; and friends Nancy Blackburn, Sharon Black Floyd, Chris Currie, Deb Knowles, Alex Quarles, Katherine Schroeder, Kim Mancini, Terri Klauber, Teri Hansen, Deborah Beecham, Alex Quarles, Ingrid Russell, Katherine Harris, Kristine Shoemaker, Susan Jones, Deborah Blue (prize for highest heels!), Nikki Sedacca and Ping Faulhaber.

+ Year of the woman
When Debra Jacobs, Linda Desmarais, Kim Githler and Betty Schoenbaum were honored at the Community Video Archives Hall of Fame Luncheon April 23, they dished up some fun facts about their younger days. In high school, Debra played matchmaker for students who didn’t have a date to senior prom.

Linda was six credits short of graduating college when her car broke down in front of a TV station. When she went inside, there happened to be a job opening for which she was mistaken as an applicant. She was hired on the spot when asked to name her favorite book — “Atlas Shrugged.”

Kim and her father, Richard Van Dyne, used to take walks together, and whenever they saw a rainbow, they would look for the pot of gold.

Betty modeled at a department store during college and was asked to show off fur coats in the middle of summer. When she thought the timing was right to get married, she informed her boyfriend, Alex (who refused to take the plunge until he made $1 million), that he had one month to make up his mind. It worked.
“Thank God he was successful — that’s why I have all of this money to give away!” Betty said.
She also referred to her life as “unplanned parenthood,” having given birth at age 48.

+ ‘He wore his power lightly’
So said Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards, speaking of the late J. Robert Peterson, widely recognized as an enormously knowledgeable and generous man who cared deeply about the arts and human services, most especially research to find treatments and cures for mental illness. A celebration of his life took place Sunday, April 29, at Michael’s On East. The program included performances by arts organizations Peterson supported, including the Sarasota Orchestra, Asolo Rep and the Sarasota Opera. In addition to Edwards, speakers included friends and colleagues from Peterson’s UPS days, John Iskrant and Charlie Young, and Sarasotans Margaret Wise, Bob Johnson, William Harrison, Larry Thompson, Mike Ash and Joyce Tate. Janice Peterson Radder spoke on behalf of the family, and the inimitable Lee Peterson gracefully accepted condolences from friend after friend. Marlene Hauck, managing director of the Petersons’ Sunshine from Darkness organization, who organized the memorial, estimated attendance at about 275. And we will all miss him!

+ Field notes from the party of the decade
Debra Jacobs called it, saying that every decade there is a party that just stands out. For the previous decade, she cites Katherine Harris’ wedding to Anders Ebbeson. For the present one: Yara and David Shoemaker’s wedding celebration Friday, April 27. The gift of sight … in lieu of wedding gifts, guests were invited to donate to the Center for Sight Foundation, which restores vision and transforms lives by providing world-class surgical care to patients who, due to financial need, would otherwise be left untreated … Fascinating facts … caterer Michael’s on East had 60 — count them — 60 servers for the 250 guests, and both Phil Mancini and Michael Klauber were on the job ... Who’s cooking? … The “Floral Fantasy Cake” was imported from Sylvia Weinstock of New York City, “The Michelangelo of cakes” … the rice pilaf with pine nuts and green peas served with the Lamb a la Syrienne was Yara Shoemaker’s own recipe ... Fashion notes ... Ping Faulhaber was picture-perfect in a dress she bought 12 years ago for a wedding in Sweden. She will it wear again for a July wedding in Italy … And, believe it or not, one gentleman was seen flipping over another’s tie to determine its designer! … Quotes not for attribution … “Did you know there were that many young people in town?” … “If you’re not here tonight, you’re dead” … “I’m afraid the rest of my life will be downhill.”