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Party Links to Pixs and A Fond Farewell to Lucy Noland

May 15, 2019 by HughE Dillon Leave a comment

The light is at the end of the tunnel, another week of double duty events, then Memorial Day and it slows down for the Spring Social Season. What a ride. Let’s review a few events I covered with links to where they were published as many of you would like to find your photo, see what folks wore to events and general chit chat here on the blog about decor and details. Next to the parties I have links to which media outlets they appear in; some of these events will be submitted for consideration in Philly Mag as well.

Jefferson Celebration of Innovation – Cocktail Reception, Innovation Exhibition and Awards Ceremony. This event appeared on ChitChat yesterday. It was a great event, the talent graduating from the school formerly known as Textiles, then Philadelphia University, now Jefferson University is really going to change the world. I love Jefferson’s president Steve Klasko, he’s a real visionary. He’s cobbled together a network of hospitals, and institutions in the name of curing the world.
In previous years it was a sit down dinner at the Crystal Tea Room in Center City. This year they decided to have it on their East Falls campus, in the basketball auditorium, within walking distance for the students, free parking for the guests. They did a great job with decor, draping the large space, and dividing it into two distinct areas, one of the cocktail party the other for a sit down program. If you missed yesterday’s column on the student innovation projects check them out HERE.

The 2019 BLOCS Gala for Catholic Education is held to raise funds for scholarships to ensure every child, regardless of religious beliefs or sociology-economic status, has equal access to a quality education. For forty years they have been committed to ensuring low-income families to have access to a high quality, vales based education in Catholic schools, and to equip and empower them to pursue their highest potential. Photos for this event appeared in Philly Style Magazine and CBSPhilly

  • Event Producer Christie Mandia of the Honigman Group hired vendors like Katie Everett to execute the event as well as Justin Pizzi who helped with the publicity, and auctioneer Jeff Hammond to raise additional funds during the event.

The event was held at Cescaphe’s The Waterworks. The cocktail party took place under the Grand Pavilion; the dinner under a tent at The Mill House which was beautifully decorated by Beautiful Blooms, owned by Cescaphe.


  • Yuka Iseda, and Aleksey Babayev

  • Sterling Baca and Lillian DiPiazza

West Laurel Hill presented a one-of-a-kind featured where Pennsylvania Ballet dancers, Sterling Baca , Lillian DiPiazza, Yuka Iseda, and Aleksey Babayev, performed excerpts from Romeo & Juliet and Giselle at the historic landmark on Sunday May 5, in celebration of the cemetery’s 150th anniversary.  . Also in the photo: Deborah Cassidy and Joanie Sweeney of West Laurel Hill (l) and on right Nancy Goldenberg, President of
West Laurel Hill Cemetery & Funeral Home and Laurel Hill Cemetery . Angel Corella, Artistic Director of the Pa Ballet, and Shelly Power, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Ballet. See additional stories and photos: Philly Voice. West Laurel Hill Cemetery is more than just a final resting place, they hold events in their conservatory, and give tours of the cemetery. It’s also an Arboretum. I like to bird watch there as well. Follow them on Twitter

Susan Russell, Michele Schaffer, and Lucy Noland, with American Humane Hero Therapy Dog of the year Aladdin. (Photo: Mike Hirata)

On sad news Lucy Noland announced on her FB page that she would be leaving Fox 29 as of May 30. No mention of what’s next for her, but where ever she goes they’ll be lucky to have her. I’ve always enjoyed her frank delivery of the news, as if she were one of us, speaking to us with empathy as sometimes the news was hard to swallow. It was nice getting to know her personally on Thanksgiving Day at Manna, or ever spring at the No Dog Gets Left Behind Gala. Here’s her complete message.