Our recent bout of record-breaking heat did not deter animal lovers from attending “A Four Legged Affair —A Night Among the Stars,” Saturday evening, Jan. 21 at the Addamo Estates Vineyard on Clark Avenue. Starting at 6 p.m., this outdoor fundraiser for the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society (SMVHS) attracted about 200 guests.
The $100 tickets included dinner, entertainment, wine, and hors d’oeuvres (chunks of cheese and salami with grape tomatoes and grapes).
Bidders could peruse the silent auction tables while listening to the mellow music of pianist Jimmy Enos and his colleague Ed Harris. The silent auction tables were close to the bar, where Addamo wines and soft drinks and water were available.
SMVHS executive director Kelly White-O’Neill and board president Bodil Cudd were all smiles as they watched folks arrive at the Tuscan-style Addamo Estate courtyard. This is a fabulous property, perfect for a glamorous event. Tables were set up in the courtyard, surrounding the huge fountain which was made in Italy. Balmy breezes constituted nature’s air conditioning. The night could not have been more perfect.
The SMVHS annual fundraiser has traditionally been a fashion show. This year, the show took a different tack–movie costumes—in keeping with the theme, “A Night Among the Stars.” Shay Murphy made a dramatic appearance on the Addamos’ second floor balcony–he was dressed quite believably as Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Alas, he did not fling himself over the side and slide down a rope. Shay/Jack used the stairs!
The Chamber of Commerce’s Etta Waterfield looked stunning as Sophia Loren in The Black Orchid. Joni James stunned us with her gorgeous Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile outfit. Siobhan McDowell paraded through the dining area as an astronaut from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Her dog’s aerospace costume brought oohs and ahs.
Cathy Castro was a very convincing Catwoman. The Elks Club’s famed Kadiddlehooper Clowns added to the colorful panorama. Laura Maldonado portrayed Elena De La Vega from The Mask of Zorro.
Liz Addamo is on the board of SMVHS and is owner of the Addamo Tasting Room in Orcutt, where a tantalizing menu serves many locals. For this event, Chef Liz and her staff prepared chicken piccata (pasta primavera was an alternate choice) with her signature salad (greens, walnuts, and pears). There was rice, mixed vegetables, rolls, and for dessert, a coconut-bottom brownie with chocolate-covered strawberries.
Judge Arthur Garcia and wife Carmen were in the crowd, as were Judge Jim Rigali, wife Ann, and three of their young’uns, who posed as paparazzi for the “stars” (guests who entered the courtyard on the red carpet).
Realtor Bunny Maxim (co-chair with board member Wanda McDonald) looked nostalgic as a nightclub cigarette girl. Her cocker spaniel Wyatt looked too, divine in his tuxedo, which he modeled in the show.
Kitty Balay introduced her (canine) daughter, Miss Lucy Annabelle Genge, who made her stage debut that evening. Lucy barked on cue when her mother sang, appropriately, How Much is that Doggie in the Window? Bob Nations and Debbie White also sang.
Funds raised at this event will go toward the new SMVHS building that is in the works. SMVHS is a ‘no kill’ facility.
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Jul 3-10, 2008.
