I can think of a whole lot of people who were very happy that Colorado Snow, the theme for Western Fantasy XXIV, didn’t describe the evening’s weather. I mean, who wants to get all dressed up and then have to slog through a storm to get to the National Western Events Center?
At the same time, I can think of a whole lot of people who loved the way the theme influenced the décor.
BJ Dyer and his team from Bouquets not only used huge, glitter-encrusted snowflakes and ice-blue lighting to turn the cavernous space into a winter wonderland; they also had ice sculptures lining the entry way and as the focal point of each table’s centerpiece.
Chaired by Mariner Kemper, chairman/CEO of UMB Financial Corp., and his wife, Megan, this fundraiser for Colorado branch of Volunteers of America began with cocktails and the chance to purchase snow globes that contained $100 gift certificates to Trice Jewelers or, in the case of lucky ticket-holder Annabel Bowlen, a diamond necklace valued at $10,000.
Annabel is named after her mom, the wife of Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen. She’s a personal fashion stylist and is engaged to Charles Mains.
Next came the traditional presentation of colors — Sharon Magness Blake circling the arena floor on Thunder, mascot of the Denver Broncos, as a recording of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” played — followed by presentation of VOA-Colorado’s highest honor, the Noel and Tammy Cunningham Humanitarian Award, to retired Delta Dental of Colorado president Kate Paul, and a beef tenderloin dinner catered by Epicurean.
The evening closed with a performance by country music star Scotty McCreery, the winner of Season 10 of “American Idol.”
Sharon Magness Blake and Jean Galloway started Western Fantasy in 1994. Since that time, the money it has raised has made what president Dianna Kunz describes as a “significant difference” in her agency’s ability to serve those in need by offering 40 programs and services that center around feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and assisting military veterans.
Kunz also noted that the Colorado Snow theme also relates to the fact that VOA client needs increase during the cold winter months. “Severe weather especially affects the homeless,” she said. “In the winter we easily hand out thousands of coats, gloves and pairs of socks.”
Guests were also encouraged to wear winter white, and those who did included Kristina Davidson, Denise Snyder and Monica Owens Beauprez, who was there with her husband, John; mother Frances Owens; in-laws Bob and Claudia Beauprez; and her brother and sister-in-law, Mark and Kristen Owens.
Chuck Berry, president of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, was there with his wife, lobbyist Maria Garcia Berry; so, too, was Larry Mizel and his daughter, Courtney, founding director of the Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab; Tamra Ward, chief external relations officer for the Denver Zoo, and fiance Dustin Whistler; Faye and Dr. Reginald Washington, whose son, Quinn, organized two tables on behalf of the Young Professionals Committee, a group headed by Kacie Curd, Wade Hiner and Zach Wolfel; U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman; Brakes Plus president Dean Pisciotta and his wife, Colleen; Pete and Marilyn Coors; Dana Davis and Shawn Cochran; Amy Harmon and Bradley Joseph; Carol and Brad James; Jennifer and Adam Daurio; Edie Marks with artist Eva Makk, whose winter-themed painting, “Pristine,” sold for $15,000 in the live auction; Yvonne and Bill McCallum; Ellen Stewart and Donald Vancil; Kathryn and Jim Kaiser; Marcela de la Mar, executive director of the Mexican Cultural Center, and hubby John Fair; Dr. Apryl Steele, CEO-designate for the Denver Dumb Friends League, and Kim McKee; Patty and John Faulkner, who were high bidders, for the fourth year in a row, on a trip to the Super Bowl; and a “girls night out” table made up of Cindy Halaby, Dianne Eddolls, Janis Hampton, Kalleen Malone, Hanne Lichtenfels, Margaret Wilfley, Sue McFarlane and Lina Shipman.
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314, partiwriter@hotmail.com and @joannedavidson on Twitter
