San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN ASSIST ST. ANTHONY’S
Even the golden arm of former 49ers quarterback Steve Bono couldn’t assist his team to victory Oct. 18 at the 42nd annual Penny Pitch benefiting St. Anthony Foundation.
“We lost early to the Local 38 team,” laughed Jim Mercurio, 49ers VP-GM for Levi’s Stadium Operations. “Next year, our team will have softball players.”
Led by co-chairs Meagan Levitan and her husband, St. Anthony’s trustee Dale Carlson, this fun-filled fete — replete with an old-fashioned raffle and responsible daytime drinking — attracted a record 23 teams battling for glory atop a North Beach parking lot next to Chief Sullivan’s pub, the clubhouse for 150 supporters.
Even though Bono lost, he was later proclaimed a champion when his raffle ticket was drawn — and he instantly donated his $3,300 win back to St. Anthony’s.
Penny Pitch is a beloved EssEff tradition among natives, including Kerry Crowley, the Mercury News Giants beat writer who expertly emceed his inaugural pitch, and Bon Vivants entrepreneur Josh Harris, who proved his city cred with a vintage photo of his father, Haig Harris, participating in the second-ever Penny Pitch. And Josh’s team, the Good Livers, crushed the competition.
This fundraiser augments St. Anthony’s programs for our less fortunate citizens who’ve slipped through the city’s social safety net, assisting them with food, clothing, shelter, job training and rehab.
“When we talk about homelessness, it’s not just mental health and substance abuse,” explains new St. Anthony Executive Director Jose Ramirez. “Our homeless community comprise a diverse demographic: We’re serving more seniors and families. This is a systemic issue: We need to shift the conversation to include housing, wage inequity and health care.”
The source: To celebrate the second anniversary of McEvoy Foundation for the Arts, founder Nion McEvoy hosted a shindig at his Minnesota Street Project gallery space, accompanied by award-winning McEvoy Ranch vino and swinging surf music.
The festivities also heralded publication (unrelated to McEvoy’s duties as Chronicle Books CEO) of the foundation’s first catalog, “la mère la mer.” Curated by Kevin Moore, this hard-back beauty pays homage to the foundation’s inaugural exhibition featuring art culled from the personal collections of McEvoy and his late maverick mother, Nan Tucker McEvoy.
“When we opened I had no experience running a gallery foundation, so it was all invented from scratch,” says McEvoy with a laugh. “But now, we’re on our seventh show, currently celebrating photographer Michael Jang.”
The gallery also hosts unique programming spanning film, lectures and happenings.
“It’s fun to throw together different eras,” says McEvoy. “Some people see books as exhibitions between covers. But I tend to see exhibitions as books, dismantled and scattered against walls.” When putting together a show, McEcoy and his team enjoy how new stories can be told in the way the art is hung.
“You can make jokes. You can 50 & fab: Declaring she’ll celebrate midlife only once, Allison Speer hosted a 50th birthday soiree for the ages in the Green Room of the War Memorial Building.
“This is it,” Speer laughed, greeting guests in a gorgeous Andrew Gn gown. “I’ll never acknowledge another birthday.”
Ever since this L.A. native graduated UC Berkeley, she’s become an EssEff fixture and one of the city’s premiere PR poobahs, representing international luxury clients. Her Instagram, detailing fabulous fetes with #TheSpeerReport hashtag, is as famous as Speer’s unparalleled gift of gab.
Turning to many of her trusted event colleagues (caterer Margaret Tesky and her Taste Catering crew, Claire Marie Flowers, photographer Drew Altizer), Speer produced a magical night for family and devoted friends, including Alexis Traina and her U.S. Ambassador to Austria husband, Trevor Traina, who winged in for the weekend.
And designer J. Riccardo
Benavides nailed Speer’s favorite theme, transforming the Green Room into an 18th century Chinoiserie palace accented by decor from Speer’s own collection of exquisite floral plates and antique urns.
Once the Kathy’s Kreative Kakes (decorated like Speer’s beloved deGournay wallpaper) was cut, revelers stormed the dance floor, grooving to DJ Nikki Pennie as performer Alessandro
Ristori (from Milan, Italy) sang atop tables in his floral Gucci ensemble like a 21st century Tom Jones.
Even Mayor London Breed weighed in with a mayoral proclamation declaring Oct. 19, 2019, Allison Speer Day in San Francisco. There were numerous “whereases” detailing Speer’s storied career (Armani, I. Magnin, ASPR) and philanthropic events (benefiting CPMC, SFMOMA, the Fine Arts Museums).
But the birthday girl was equally touched that the mayor included shout-outs to Speer’s mom, Susan Niven, and adored “children,” darling dachshunds Gigi and Coco.
“When I first met Ali is when I experienced life in technicolor,” toasted ambassador Traina. “Ali adds that extra pixelation and flair, bringing magic and joy to our lives. I once thought I was sort of an ambassador of San Francisco. But I’ve come to realize the true San Francisco ambassador is the one and only Allison Speer. She represents us, entertains us and guides us, making our lives more fun and beautiful.”
Hot ticket: Tony Award-winning vocalist Audra McDonald stars Nov. 1 at Saint Joseph’s Arts Society. And a few tix remain for this Heavenly Bodies fundraiser, the inaugural effort of this organization founded by designer Ken Fulk.
Revelers will be wowed by the setting: a 1913 Romanesque revival church magically transformed byFulk into an event space-art gallery.
The evening includes a disco dance party. And the courtyard hosts a pop-up Tosca Cafe, the storied North Beach boite now co-owned by Fulk.
“Our foundation’s goal is to celebrate arts in San Francisco and raise support for emerging artists,” explains Fulk. “On the sanctuary-turned-stage of this formerly sacred space, we’re creating a new kind of religion.”