The women in charge of Salt on the Rim had anticipated a large crowd; after all, the Kempe Children’s Foundation benefit was being held at Mike and Peggy Shanahan’s showplace estate and that fact alone made ticket sales brisk from the get-go.
What Nancy Koontz, Ryta Sondergard, Marsha Temple and Sandy Weigand hadn’t expected, though, was a last-minute sales flurry that added an extra 150 to the count.
“It’s wonderful, dizzying, surprising . . . I really don’t have words to describe it,” Koontz said with a very big smile before turning serious for a moment to recall the event’s start.
“Our beloved Georgia (Imhoff, who died almost a year ago) started this several years ago as a garden party at her home. It was much smaller, more of a summer get-together for her friends, but every year it got bigger . . . and now look at us: 650 people!”
The money raised goes to the Kempe Children’s Center and its efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect.
Guests were treated to south-of-the-border fare from a couple dozen restaurants, breweries and catering companies, including Lime, Brio, Mezcal, The Porker, Schweiger Vineyards, Pinkberry and Gourmet Fine Catering. They also enjoyed music by Wide Open, bid farewell to Jesse Wolff, who is leaving the Kempe Center’s chief executive to assume a similar position with Goodwill Industries of Denver, and wished Mort and Edie Marks a happy 44th wedding anniversary.
Familiar faces in the crowd included Marie Wheatley, who was there with Pam Kelker and Bonnie Bangert; Jan and Gil Hammond, who shared stories from their summer trip to Israel; Lisa and Dr. Lynn Taussig; Miriam and Ron Abreu; Helen and Warren Hanks; Vivian Guzofsky; Cindy and George Straughn; Wanda and Larry Fanning; Louise Richardson; Steve Edmonds; and Marcia and Mike Pritchard.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, davidson and GetItWrite on Twitter
Brass Ring preview
Vancouver-based designer Rozemerie Cuevas flew to Denver to give principals of the Brass Ring Fashion Show a first look at the dresses and gowns that she is making for this Nov. 10 benefit for the Barbara Davis Center. Joanne Davidson has the details in her Seen First blog:
