The Most Memorable Parties of 2017
There’s nothing we at RI love more than covering the region’s galas; it’s the perfect opportunity to visit with wonderful old friends, meet interesting new ones, and taste the delicious food and drink produced right here at home. That’s why picking only a handful of parties for our year-end wrap-up is always so difficult. We’d like to thank the residents of this region for being so generous with their time, talent and funding of organizations that improve the quality of life in our area and make residing here a joy. Below is a sampling of the galas, gallery openings, fetes and festivals that make our jobs so fun. (Click here to relive all of 2017’s parties.) Studio 54 Disco Redux The Norman Rockwell Museum’s “Legends” gala attracted one of the best-dressed crowds of the season. Dressed to the nines in ‘60s and ‘70s glam, attendees celebrated NRM’s summer exhibit, "Inventing America: Rockwell & Warhol" with family members of both artists and a Studio 54 dance party. A Fete To Honor Farmers Hopkins Vineyards in Warren hosted this year’s Farmer’s Table event, where the tables are turned and it’s the farmers who are the guests. Ingredients from many of the 200-plus farms in Litchfield County are used by local chefs who donate their time to prepare a dinner that allows residents and farmers to get to know one another. Horses Lend A Helping Hoof This year, RI covered a handful of people and organizations who are using their love and knowledge of horses to help others. One of them was The Equus Effect, a Sharon, Conn. nonprofit that empowers veterans to rebuild healthy relationships through engagement with horses. The organization got help from actor, playwright and veteran Stephan Wolfert and his one-man tour de force “Cry Havoc” during its fundraiser at Lakeville’s Quarry Hill Farm. All That Glitters Is Glass Did you know that work by some of the best glass artists in the world can be seen right here in Stockbridge at Schantz Galleries? An October opening reception with collectors and artists was followed by dinner at the Red Lion Inn, right around the corner from this top-tier gallery. Rooms With A View The Alliance for Positive Health’s annual Columbia–Greene Garden Party is always well-attended and the cause is one that many hold close to their hearts. An added draw is the venue — each year, the fundraiser is held at a different magical private property. This summer, more than 400 guests were able to tour the historic Claverack home and grounds of famed film director James Ivory. Fancy Feasting Who would turn down the opportunity to enjoy lunch (and a Bloody Mary bar) on the lawn at Tanglewood? Not the crowd who attended Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative (BFMC)s 4th annual Posh Picnic. This year’s honoree was Carl Sprague, a local whose work can been seen in the films "Twelve Years a Slave," "The Royal Tenenbaums" and" La La Land." The designer and art director is used to working behind the scenes, but was the center of attention at this year’s fundraiser. Haute On The Hudson Twinkling lights, lush foliage, green lawns that seemingly go on forever, magical Hudson River views, a mansion in the background: it’s easy to see why Bard College held its SummerScape Gala on the fairy tale-esque grounds of Montgomery Place for the second year in a row. This year’s fundraiser for The Fisher Center featured a one-night-only set by Tony and Grammy Award-winning actor and singer Billy Porter and an after-party at the Spiegeltent hosted by Susanne Bartsch. Here We Grow Hancock Shaker Village’s 2017 gala, the most well-attended in the non-profit’s history, began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the gardens, followed by a three-course dinner in the 1910 Barn. An after-party transformed the Round Stone Barn and surrounding lawn into a tropical paradise, complete with tiki torches, colorful cocktails, and food from Lucia’s Latin Kitchen. The Pillow Is The Place A sold out crowed helped Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival celebrate its 85th season with choreographer Liz Lerman, Miami City Ballet, dancer Sara Mearns, Company Wang Ramirez, dinner, a dance party and more surprises. Building 6 Is A Big Deal You’ve read about it in the NY Times, Boston Globe, WSJ and in RI. It’s Building 6 at MASS MoCA and we were there, among thousands of others, at its grand opening. Here’ a look at new exhibits by Laurie Anderson, Jenny Holzer, James Turrell, Louise Bourgeois, Robert Rauschenberg and others, plus pop-up performances and a concert by the band CAKE. The Sylvia Center Turns 10 You’ll recognize The Sylvia Center at Katchkie Farm as one of RI’s recipe contributors, so you won’t be surprised to find out that its annual farm-to-table dinner in Kinderhook featured wonderfully unique foods such as smoked trout zucchini cups, forest mushroom mousse cornets and fermented grape leaves with goat cheese. A New Place To “Park” It This May, Turn Park Art Space, West Stockbridge’s new contemporary sculpture park and community gathering spot, opened to a large and eager crowd who came to walk the paths, take in the sites (both natural and man-made) and enjoy stories, songs and skits from Brooklyn’s Floating Tower. Top Hat And Tales April 22nd’s Proprietors Ball at Hudson Hall at the Historic Hudson Opera House ushered in a new era for the venue and the city. The party, which officially opened the fully restored and renovated hall at the center of the city’s cultural life, included a ribbon cutting, cocktails, and great food and entertainment sourced from Hudson’s diverse and talented arts community.
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