Phoenix Club’s Mardi Gras party keeps good times rolling weeks late
Mardi Gras was three weeks ago in New Orleans, but it took place again Saturday night in Memphis at the Cadre Building, when the Phoenix Club held its annual Mardi Gras and Casino Party, which supports the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis.
Steven Bell took care of the colorful beads. “These are legit,” he said, opening a bag he brought with him. “These are from Mardi Gras.”
Steven, who gave beads to guests, was in New Orleans two years ago for the Bacchus Ball.
This year’s Phoenix Club party featured music by DJ Mario and casino games. Harrah’s Casino provided the dealers. Raffle prizes were from The Grove Grill and Folk’s Folly restaurants, Tommy Bronson Sporting Goods and Oak Hall.
About 600 attended Saturday night’s party, event chairman Chad Cunningham estimated. In keeping with the Mardi Gras spirit, Chad, who had some beads around his neck, also wore a festive pair of socks he ordered online from JoyofSocks. The pattern, similar to the design found on T-shirts, depicted the front of a tuxedo with a bowtie. “They’re just goofy socks that I like,” Chad said.
Zac McRae is Phoenix Club president.
Guests flocked to this year’s Carnival Memphis Krewes for Kids party Friday night at the Memphis Botanic Garden.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the 2013 Carnival Children’s Charity Initiative recipients: Perea PreSchool, Ronald McDonald House and YWCA.
Ed Galfsky, Carnival Memphis executive director, described the event as “over the top and incredible. It was our most successful fundraiser since we started the Children’s Charity Initiative in 1999.”
Among the live auction items were four seats to a St. Louis Cardinals game in the owner’s section behind home plate, and a “Memphis Music Legends” guitar signed by Isaac Hayes, David Porter, Jim Dickinson, Kallen Esperian, Sid Selvidge, John Fry and Ward Archer.
‘OVER THE TOP’ FUNDRAISER
“Seeds of Change” was the theme of this year’s Hands of Hope Auction Party to benefit The Exchange Club Family Center.
The jam-packed event Saturday night at The Columns at One Commerce Square included live and silent auctions, dinner and drinks. Memphis Jones and DJ Mark Anderson provided the music.
Mayor A C Wharton and his wife, Ruby, were honorary co-chairmen. Dorothy and Pat Burke were event chairmen. Chris Jarman was the emcee and auctioneer.
Exhibits of work by Brantley Ellzey and Ian Lemmonds opened Friday with a reception at L Ross Gallery.
“Pulp Fiction” is the title of Brantley’s show because “all the pieces are made out of pulp magazines,” he said.
Brantley, an architect by trade, creates the work by rolling up pages and covers of magazines and pages of books. “I roll each one on a dowel and release it from the dowel. If they’re free standing, I glue them to each other. If they’re in shadow boxes, they’re glued to a foam core base.”
His work, which he calls “time capsules” and “constructions,” are “a direct result of my architectural training and practice. They’re designed and constructed. When I roll up these pages, I’m encasing all this information, and the information informs the subtext of the particular piece.”
Explaining “Bio-Illogical,” the title of his show of photographs and found objects, Ian said, “All my work has to do with the ‘biological imperative,’ which is sort of the idea that a lot of who we are as beings is sort of predetermined. So our behavior is not always logical.”
Also on view is Ian’s collection of used plastic toy birds. “Each time I’d go to a thrift store, I might see one of those birds and I’d always buy it,” he said.
When he amassed 20 or 30 of them, Ian realized “they are ostensibly the same, but small differences between them were important. They were all damaged a unique way by a different child.”
“Pulp Fiction” and “Bio-Illogical” will be on view through March 30.
EXCHANGE CLUB AUCTION
SHOW OPENS AT L ROSS
On the cover: Jay Martin (from left), Michael McCaffrey, Jordan Zarshenas, Chad Cunningham and Ben Prudhomme at the Phoenix Club Mardi Gras Party. donahue@commercialappeal.com; 901-529-2797