There?s never a dull moment at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Just ask one of the 1,800 guests at this year?s Zoomerang, who had sought relief from the 90-degree heat in the zoo?s air-conditioned Mansion House when the lights suddenly went out.
“I?m getting a Jurassic Park kind of vibe right now,” the guest nervously said as he fumbled toward the front doors. “Hey, maybe the zoo can?t afford the BGE rate hike either,” another guest quipped.
Still, thanks to the zoo?s reliable generators that kept the outside tents ? and enjoyable festivities ? well lit, this was the only glitch in an otherwise perfect show of support for Friday evening?s fundraiser, “Top Hat, Tusks & Tails,” which raised more than $150,000 for the zoo?s operational budget.
Mother Nature even tossed in a heat-lightning show, as guests grazed the night away by sampling “zoopendous” fare from some of Maryland?s finest restaurants while enjoying many of the “spirit” booths that dotted the paths.
Stuart Amos, who chaired the event with his wife, Suzanne, said, “As animal lovers, we were honored to be the chairs this year. The zoo is truly one of Maryland?s most important resources.”
Seen taking a walk on the wild side were Buddy Roogow, director of the Maryland State Lottery; Tracy Cioni, Zoomerang committee member; Jerry Edwards of Chef?s Expressions; Frank Kelly of Kelly & Associates; Allison Doriss of 4-Corners Wine & Spirits; Kirsten Greenwell; Harold P. Hayley of NBC News; Celeste Corsaro, marketing director for Baltimore Eats; David Nevins, public relations guru; and Diane Lyn of 101.9 Lite FM.
Part of the Zoomerang journey is the fabulous entertainment, and DJ Bobby Nyk had folks on their feet to his array of fantastic tunes. Even Mayor Sheila Dixon?s gal pals agreed to come on-stage and dance to the “Booty Call” song. Herzonner kindly took a pass with a “No, thank you.”
Maybe it?s the animal surroundings that bring out the mischief in some. Steve Rouse, from 101.9 Lite FM, kept returning to his station?s booth, asking, “Has Steve Rouse arrived? I really want to meet him. What time will he be here?” The poor gal politely kept saying, “I just don?t know, sir.”
CASH BACK AT BAY CAFE
Believe in Tomorrow Children?s Foundation held a unique event last week at The Bay Cafe on Boston Street in Baltimore.
This “Cash Back” reverse-draw raffle presold $100 tickets to 250 guests. Prospective winners packed the place, all with the look of “what if?” in their eyes. It?s a good thing “need not be present to win” was printed on each ticket, as John Maroon of Maroon Public Relations was a no-show but picked up a $500 prize.
Other $500 winners were Drew McQuaid, Dan Gerlach, George Matthews and Kevin Wesner. Jay Marotte won the $10,000 jackpot.
More than $17,000 was raised to benefit the foundation?s mission of bringing comfort and hope to critically ill children and their families, according to Believe in Tomorrow spokeswoman Lindsay Thomas. For information on BIT, go to www.
believeintomorrow.org or call 410-744-1032.
TOUGH TO SWALLOW
Make no mistake about it. Most of the wines I tasted at Sunday?s Great Grapes Wine, Food and Arts Festival at Oregon Ridge hit the spot. But I had to chuckle when I heard a fellow taster, who will remain nameless, describe the “red” offering of one of our local wineries, which also will remain nameless, as this: “It tasted like something you would use in salad dressing; I had to use my wife as a shield to spit it out.” You won?t see that line in many wine reviews.
Anne Boone-Simanski is the social columnist for The Examiner and can be reached at [email protected] or 410-878-6131.
