It was a different world back in the 1930s, when Cuba was in its heyday, and beautiful people from around the globe flocked there to romp on sun-splashed ocean beaches by day and hit the casinos by night.
Those halcyon days were recalled when, on a balmy August night in Denver, Museo de las Americas hosted Rojo Celia, a fundraiser that brought vintage Havana back to life through food, decor and the Manuel Molina Orchestra’s musical homage to the late salsa queen Celia Cruz.
Even the venue — the 1925 Spanish Colonial St. Cajetan’s Center — helped transport the 144 guests to another place in time.
The event was organized by Museo’s social committee, which is headed by Baltazar Solano Piñeda and Jorge Gonzalez Mayagoitia. They’re senior staffers with the Mexican consulate in Denver, although Mayagoitia will be leaving his post as consul for political affairs on Tuesday to enroll in law school at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
“It was so sudden,” he confessed, “but I’m very excited because once I have my law degree, I will head the (consulate) legal department in a new city.”
Among those turning out for Rojo Celia were Susana Cordova, chief academic officer for Denver Public Schools, and her husband, Eric Duran; John Epps, the district’s performing-arts coordinator; Denver City Councilwoman Judy Montero and hubby Nolbert Chavez; George Martinez, chairman of the Museo board, Carmel Koeltzow; Gregory Sargowicki and Jay Villa from Willow Ridge Manor special events center in Morrison; Lois Paul; Suzanna Martinez and jewelry designer Andrea Li, who had just FedEx’d five pieces to Drew Barrymore to choose from for her red carpet walk at the premiere of “Going the Distance.”
More good stuff.
Colorado’s director of homeland security, Larry Trujillo, and his wife, Michelle, are the hosts Thursday night for a cocktail reception thanking patrons of ARC Thrift’s upcoming Starfish and Dreams gala, Under the Tuscan Skies. . . . On Friday, Derek Evilsizor performs the songs of Old Blue Eyes at Sinatra on the Roof, a silent auction and buffet benefiting the Griffith Centers for Children. Festivities begin at 6 p.m. at the Denver Athletic Club; call Jamie Sachtjen, 303-350-2736. . . . Also on Friday, co-chairs Heidi Hammell and Kelly Stava are expecting 400 guests for Denver Botanic Gardens’ annual Fete des Fleurs; last-minute reservations can be made at botanic . . . . Hot Summer Whites is the theme for The Big Give, a family-oriented barbecue that begins at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Canterberry Crossing pool in Parker. It’s a benefit for The Gathering Place, Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital and Give 2 The Troops; learn more by visiting
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporter’s error, Suzanna Martinez was incorrectly
identified as the wife of George Martinez.
