Black Tie & Tales

+ Host and hostess with the mostest
Gerri Aaron has been entertaining on New Year’s Eve for more than a decade, the last seven years with her partner, playwright Marvin Albert, as co-host. What they have the “mostest” of: guests who share their passion for the arts and human services.Seen among the 60 or so who enjoyed the fireworks: Elaine Keating (Sarasota Museum of Art), Hillary Steele and Judy Cahn (Sarasota Ballet), Patricia Caswell (Hermitage), Barbara Zdravecky and Jan Chester (Planned Parenthood), Susan Brainerd and Alan Quinby (Key Chorale and Children’s Guardian Fund), Judi Bell (Neuro Challenge Foundation), Rich Segall (Jewish Family and Children’s Service), Fran Lambert (Perlman Music Program/Suncoast) Richard M. Parison Jr. (Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe), Dennis Stover (USF Sarasota-Manatee), Phil King (Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center), Scott Anderson and Veronica Brady (Gulf Coast Community Foundation) and Harold Ronson (Sarasota Opera and Friendship Centers). Even Rich Bergman (Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation) made an appearance before popping across Palm Avenue to his organization’s rooftop “Silent Disco.”

+ Worth waiting for ...
Friends of Michael Zuckerberg have been following the progress of his new home for months, especially the evolution of the gazebo with a distinctly Roman flair out back. The residence in the Bungalow Hill neighborhood made its debut to more than 100 guests at a New Year’s open house. Some took a tour of the interior with Zuckerberg’s interior design ally, Marsha Ritter of Robb & Stucky. They got to see his collection-of-collections, including 19th century Doulton bar mugs, each imprinted with a witticism, and figurines of a British cartoon character named Penelope and her pony, Kipper. Among the visitors who enjoyed the gazebo and an array of treats from caterer Jeremy Hammond Chambers: Warren and Margot Coville and daughter, Betsy, Lois Stulberg, Greg Leaming, Iain Webb, Mary Ann Servian and John Simon, Marie Monsky, Sheila and Merrill Wynne, Vivian Kouvant, George Allison, Alan Watkins, David Strattard, Scott George, John Mason, Carol Camiener and Peggy and Ken Abt.