SOME Junior Gala @ the Cororan Gallery of Art

I was sure what to expect from this event when I was invited by one of my friends who was serving on the host committee. A bunch of stuffy folks going to admire art while sipping champagne in a quiet setting — all while being heckled to donate more money? Or, knowing a portion of the crowd that was going, was I in for night of rail liquor, slick floors, and sloppy drunks a la the Halloween party at the National Building Museum?
Neither.
It turns out, this was one of the hottest parties I’ve been to in town. Literally. When they opened the doors, I was impressed with the glass foyer — but I didn’t have much time to admire it. I was quickly asked whether I would like to check my coat by the attendees at the door. With that done, I walked up the steps into the museum to check in at the front tables and quickly stepped up to one of seven well stocked bars strewn throughout the venue. Rail liquor? Nope. Call brands — I can’t beat that considering it was going to turn into four hours of an open bar and dancing. So I settled in with a vodka soda (gotta pace myself) and went to admire the food.
The food spread was very well done. Between brie and turkey sliders, mini roast beef croissant sandwiches, baby twice baked potatoes, cheese board, chilled gently steamed veggies (nice touch to get the raw flavor off without cooking the veggie completely through), and a plethora of desserts, this spread was a filler. It also was repeatedly stocked throughout the night and literally — no one who wanted to eat went hungry (no pun intended). Bravo to the food and beverage planners.
The event did have a raffle to try and raise money beyond the ticket price and had some interesting prizes — I think there were about 20 prizes in all. It was a nice touch that they didn’t interrupt the band to draw the prizes and instead had folks leave contact information on the tickets so you could be reached later if you won. I’m hoping I won the liquor basket, wine basket, and photos of DC. Yeah, I’m not greedy.
Oh — let’s not forget the music. The first two hours was a nice trio of strings — an elegant touch to the evening to start before the real rocking began. Once people dispensed with the niceties and had a few drinks in them, Sick Feed, a local cover band, started in on the music. A great time — Sam Dredge was smoking as always and Peter was crushing the drums. I don’t know the other members well like Tom and two others, but hey — that didn’t stop me from dancing and enjoying myself.
As for the people, it was a healthy mix of young professionals from around DC. I did see the obligatory Georgetown crowd along with a mix of others who I did not recognize from the various events that I’ve found myself at in town. I only had one disappointment for the night — some people took «Black Tie Optional» literally and in my own humble (but apparently unapologetically snotty) opinion took away a bit from the hard work that the gala committee put in to put on an elegant, yet fun affair. Sorry guys, that statement is there to merely allow a polite allowance for those who don’t own a tux to show up in a suit. Not for those who own a tux to simply show up in a suit because they were lazy and didn’t want to tie a bow tie. The ladies were decked out in various stages of Borat «Very Niiiiice» and looked as if they were having more fun dancing to the band than the guys attempting to catch a few last drinks before heading over to Georgetown.
Great venue, great planning team, and great execution. Certainly one of the best events I’ve been to in town and will be sure to go again next year, baby permitting.