What: The Sixth-Annual So Others May Eat Junior Gala

Where: Corcoran Gallery of Art

When: February 13, 2009, 8 PM to midnight

Ticket Price: $85.00

Who: More than 800 young professionals kicked off the Valentine’s Day weekend with cocktails, finger food, and dancing at the Sixth Annual SOME Junior Gala. A large majority of the twenty- and thirtysomething crowd were Capitol Hill staffers, and many others were graduates of local private high schools who had worked with SOME as part of their youth-service programs. Officers from both the Navy and Marines were also present in uniform.

Proceeds from the sold-out event benefitted renovations at the Thea Bowman House, SOME’s two-year transitional housing program for formerly homeless families with children. Over $100,000 was raised, $53,000 of which goes directly to SOME to support renovations at The Thea Bowman House. Co-chairs Pilar O’Brien and Connie Kemper said it was the most successful SOME Junior Gala yet.

Photos provided by Visual Initiatives. 

Scene: Mostly young Washington blue bloods. In other words, the crowd at SOME Junior Gala was much like Town Hall or Smith Point. Most attendees attended private high schools, so the event turned into a class reunion of sorts. The two local cover bands—Sick Feed and Judo Chop—rocked tunes from Journey and Def Leppard to Rihanna and the All American Rejects.

Food and Drink: The menu, by Occasions Caterers, was standard gala fare. Sandwiches were served on silver-dollar rolls and included roast beef with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, smoked turkey with brie and peach chutney, shrimp salad with alfalfa sprouts in a miniature pita pocket, and vegetable hye rollers. Old-fashioned grilled cheese sandwiches left something to be desired, but the miniature thrice-baked potatoes provençal and the vegetable spring rolls served with sweet and sour sauce and Chinese mustard kept the crowds coming back for more. There was also a selection of fine American cheeses with a fruit and nut garnish, vegetables accompanied by dill and mustard dip, and, later on, a tasty selection of desserts.

The event had six working bars in full operation—four downstairs, two upstairs. They served mixed cocktails, beer, and white wine. In the tradition of most gallery parties, no red wine was available. Cuca Fresca Exports provided rum for some extremely potent drinks; however, the tropical citrus and lemon drop martinis by Glaceau Vitamin Water were bland.

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