Don and Arlene Mohler Johnson love to throw a party. Whether it’s their annual winter wonderland fete for 100 or the Diva Luncheon that Arlene did last summer for about a dozen of her dearest friends, guests know to expect the unexpected.
An invented-for-the-occasion beverage, a surprise guest or a unique bit of entertainment always is part of the mix when the Cherry Hills Village residents entertain.
But surprises can happen even when they’re the guests of honor, not the hosts.
Don and Arlene are Citizens of the Arts for 2011, a title that the Fine Arts Foundation awards annually to an individual or couple who has made an appreciable difference in keeping the arts alive in the metro area. With the honor comes a celebratory dinner, with entertainment traditionally provided by one of the 22 organizations that receives funding from the FAF — groups like the Central City Opera, Colorado Children’s Chorale, Denver School of the Arts and Opera Colorado.
This year, at the honorees’ suggestion, the after-dinner show featured an Elvis impersonator that the Johnsons had flown in from Kentucky. And so rather than offering a polite response to classical or operatic renderings, the audience rocked.
Dave and Pam Duke, Andy Bishop, Linda Holloway, Tom Jensen, Sherry Huntsinger, Lorraine Salazar and Susan Stiff were among the first to hit the dance floor while others bounced to the beat in their seats in the Westin Denver Downtown’s grand ballroom.
It wasn’t all rock ‘n’ roll, though. The event chaired by Kitty Gregg and Kimberly Porter also featured cocktail hour music by a jazz trio from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, and the three-course dinner was enjoyed to a background of Claudia Bunker’s gentle harp stylings.
FAF president Murri Bishop helped the co-chairs welcome a crowd that included Mary Ann Henry and Jim Balock; Chris and Marc Zitek; Margaret Cunningham; Gail and Phil Nash; Louise Richardson; Leslie and Howard Farkas; LaFawn Biddle; Jane and Jim Wiltshire; Layne and Craig Fleishman; Marie Belew Wheatley; Gayle and Ed Novak; Patricia Laverty; Chris and Dr. Ron Yaros; Maradith and Russ Wilkins; Don Johnson’s sons Jim and Mark Johnson and Arlene’s sons, Seth and Stan.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter
