1940s-style mixing & mingling
WITH ELIZABETH HAMEL November 7, 2011 6:10PM
Co-chairs Dusty Stemer (from left), Toni Canada and Laurie Davis
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Updated: December 9, 2011 8:14AM
The most notable of Chicago’s society set flocked to the Four Seasons Hotel on Friday for the 121st annual gala benefitting the venerable Service Club of Chicago.
Ladies and gents got dolled up to sip champagne and mingle with friends at the elegant soiree — themed “An Evening of Glamour at Club El Morocco” — as they feted another year of philanthropy for some of the city’s neediest folks.
Gala co-chairs Dusty Stemer, Toni Canada and Laurie Davis took charge of transforming the hotel ballroom into the famed 1940s New York nightclub — even accenting the rooms with the club’s signature zebra stripes. A favorite of celebrities and socialites alike, the actual El Morocco Supper Club served as New York City’s seen-and-be-seen spot for decades, evoking fond memories for many as the nightclub of choice for a grand evening out.
Outgoing Service Club president Sherrill Bodine was seen chatting with former club president Hazel Barr and vice president Vonita Reescer during the cocktail hour. Other familiar faces spotted in the well-heeled crowd included Rochelle Trotter, Cookie Cohen, Whitney Lasky and Irene Michaels, along with the night’s emcees, “Windy City Live’s” Val Warner and Ryan Chiaverini.
During dinner of potato-pumpkin soup and grilled filet of beef, songstress Shelley MacArthur serenaded partygoers with a brief cabaret set backed up by the Ken Arlen Orchestra. MacArthur recently released her second full-length record, “All Jazzed Up!,” which made its way into the evening’s gift bags.
Tickets to the soiree began at $400 and, in total, $250,000 was raised for the various organizations the Service Club serves.
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