New York improv group The Water Coolers were the featured entertainment at the spring benefit luncheon for the Aurora Mental Health Center. All the party pictures are here. — Penny Parker.

Steve Hogan, Mayor of Aurora, left, Rick Hanson and Randy Stith

By Carol Burkett
BLACKTIE-COLORADO

The 8th annual Spring benefit luncheon for the Aurora Mental Health Center was a rolicking success as attendees enjoyed a great meal and side splitting comedy.  Rachel Nunez, board member, welcomed the crowd and introduced Ed Greene of CBS4 news anchor who served as emcee.  Dr. Randy Stith, CEO and executive director of the Aurora Mental Health Center, talked about the history and mission of the center and thanked the supporters who contribute to their work. Dr. Stith has been the executive directer of Aurora Mental Health for 34 years.Rachel Nunez returned to the stage and talked about the Gay and Lesbian Fund’s generous matching dollars contribution.

Hilarity was served up by the Watercoolers, a song and nike cortez dance troop, with their satirical look at the working world of today. A female traveller sang “Delay Come and me Wanna Go Home” when her flight is delayed, in a parody of a Belafonte classic.  The IT Cowboy had a duel with technology and the intracacies of automated helplines were explored. Tom Flanagan, President of Citywide and Steve Hogan, Mayor of Aurora, were called to the stage to practice teamwork, to the tune of “YMCA.” It was a fun and whimsical way to say thank you for all the support and commitment of those involved with AUMHC.

Aurora Mental Health Center helped over 14,000 clients last year alone. The month of May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and the perfect time for the center to celebrate its success and move forward into the future.

For more information about Aurora Mental Health Center check out their website at

http://www.aumhc.org

Among those in attendance at the Work Options for Women event tonight: Food Network star and D Bar Desserts owner Keegan Gerhard with wife, Lisa Bailey.

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Everyone looked like they had a great time at the Hattitude event supporting the Women’s Voices Fund. See the party pictures here. – Penny Parker.

Rory Grant, left with Edna Chang-Grant

By Chad Chisolm
BLACKTIE-COLORADO.COM

A sea of fantastic hats and brilliant bonnets topped 600 heads of ladies attending the 7th Women with Hattitude event at the Seawell Ballroom. From simple and elegant to intricate and lavish, the parade of hats never ceases to amaze for this occasion.

Supporting the Women’s Voices Fund, the event helps to fund the commissioning, development and production of new plays by women and the hiring of more women as lead artists at the Denver Center Theatre Company. nike zoom hyperrev Associate memberships to the Women’s Voice Fund are also a wonderful way to give to the group, starting at $300 annually or a founding membership at $5,000 payable over 5 years.

From the celebration of supporting the voices of women to the beautiful singing voice of Mary Louise Lee, this year’s Act 7 was just as show-stopping as ever. Join the celebration next year for a much-anticipated and worthwhile event. To learn more about Women’s Voices Fund with www.denvercenter.org/wvf.

You can navigate through the masks at the links below. I wrote about The Mask Project in a recent On The Town column.

Mask by artists
Masks by bids, highest to lowest
Masks by celebrities
Masks by chefs
Masks by Cherry Creek retailers
Masks by community leaders
Masks by executives
Masks by heroes
Masks by high school artists
Masks by media
Masks by political leaders
Masks by sports figures
Masks, vintage
No bids yet

The Club Mask party is May 12, 2012, 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. at Cherry Creek Shopping Center.

I wrote about Rollin’ against Hunger in today’s On The Town column! On Sunday, Mile High Spirits is hosting a mini food truck party along with Food Bank of the Rockies, Crock Spot, Street Eats, NZ Smoking Guns, Mestizo’s, Aiko Pops and United We Feed. Proceeds to benefit Food Bank of the Rockies.

Here’s what you can expect, according to Rollin’ with Hunger’s Facebook site:

-Cooking demos by Master Chef Jake Gandolfo
-Raffles
-Live music, great food, amazing libations
-A whole lotta fun!
-The opportunity to walk away knowing you contributed to something that is a growing issue in the world AND on our home turf

Let everyone know you’re coming here.

I wrote about this week’s History Colorado Center gala in today’s On The Town column!

If you go to Saturday’s opening, here’s what you’ll see.

Anschutz-Hamilton Hall
10:30-3:00 – Ivy Baldwin (historical re-enactor) – Tight rope walker
Auditorium
11:30 a.m. – Liz Masterson: Music, Stories & Poetry of the Old West
Noon – Ann Lincoln: Juggling, Comedy & Magic
12:30 p.m. – Speed Stacking Presentation
1 p.m. – The Millibo Art Theater Presents: Museum of Dreams
1:30 p.m. – Top Hogs: The World’s Most Talented Pigs
2 p.m. – Liz Masterson: Music, Stories & Poetry of the Old West
2:30 p.m. – Ann Lincoln: Juggling, Comedy & Magic
3 p.m. – Speed Stacking Presentation
3:30 p.m. – The Millibo Art Theater Presents: Museum of Dreams
4 p.m. – Top Hogs: The World’s Most Talented Pigs
Second Floor
10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Fun Photo Opportunities, Speed Stackers, Caricatures

Buy tickets here

Earlier today in my Thursday On The Town column, I wrote about the “Party like a pinata, get smashed” sign in the LimeXS parking lot.

Turns out there’s a T-shirt. Click here to order through Zazzle.com.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a man who’s used to being large and in charge, will have more than his moment in the spotlight when Curious Theatre Company devotes its entire seventh annual Denver Stories play to the good guv.

It’s quite a departure for the annual production, which traditionally features multiple prominent Denver types.

“If you can find that one person, it ends up being quite the tribute to that individual,” said Curious artistic director Chip Walton. “We’re well on our way to being 70 percent sold out.”

The play, written by Josh Hartwell and acted by John Jurcheck (who I’m told shares Hick’s long and lanky physical features) will have a one-night run on June 20 at the theater at 1080 Acoma St. The evening includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres by Occasions Catering (formerly Occasions by Sandy) beginning at 6 p.m. There will be a live auction and post-show party as well as the performance.

Tickets are $1,000 per person. Sponsorships are available at $5,000 to $10,000 through Diana Gatschet, director of organizational advancement at 720-258-4212 or at curioustheatre.org.

Will the governor make a cameo appearance in his own play? I’d bet on it. “It’s part of what we’ve talked to him about doing without a firm commitment one way or the other just yet,” Walton said. I’m betting the condo.

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BLACKTIE-COLORADO.COM

Have you ever eaten steak on a spoon? For most, the answer is likely no. The reason is likely that even the best of steaks usually need a knife to cut them. For Coohills Restaurant, and proprietors Tom and Diane Coohill, their Snake River Farms Wagyu strip steak is tender enough that you can eat it off of a spoon, and that is just what all of the happy patrons of Penny Parker’s Evening of Decadent Delights event did. From the fancy hors d’oeuvres on spoons to the various other mouthwatering concoctions served on Tuesday night, the evening was a success, especially for those who love food.

The servers carefully moved throughout the crowded bar before dinner to serve trays of champagne and bite sized delights to get everyone ready for the main course. Smiles and excitement filled the room as the sun set on this beautiful spring evening. But the best was yet to come with a meal waiting to be served, created by chefs selected from some of the best restaurants around Denver. The eight course meal had portions from restaurants including Restaurant Kelly Liken, Cholon, Charcoal, Ambria, Trillium, Elway’s Downtown, Aria and Opus. If that list does not get the taste buds into full excitement, it is hard to say what will.

The event was not just a high calorie celebration of food and drink. Sense of Security benefited from the patrons generous bids at the silent auction and donations to the cause. A live air jordan 1 femmes auction included items from the Curtis Hotel, Infinite Monkey Theorem Wine, the Denver Zoo, Le Grand Bistro and Fancy to Fantasy Catered Affairs. All of the generous companies that donated goods for auction and the patrons that purchased them helped Sense of Security fulfill their goal of helping women diagnosed with breast cancer have support in their time of need. With expensive medical procedures that often stop patients from being able to work, Sense of Security helps to provide the financial help they need to not have to make the choice between food and medication. They make sure that patients can focus all of their energy on recovery instead of bills and financial worry.

The wonderful thing about Ms. Parker’s event is the celebration of the best of life to help those in troubled situations. With a topic that makes the lives of many very hard, it is nice to have an event that can put smiles on people’s faces while still helping to support women that deserve help. On Tuesday, Ms. Parker showed everyone that just because something is bad, does not mean that we are not empowered to make the situation better—and the best part is, she did it with style.

Visit the “Captured Event” page on Blacktie-Colorado!