Memorable Midnight in Moscow

Security Guards! Photographers! Soloists from the Moscow Symphony! Caviar and vodka! Beautiful dresses, tuxedos and tails! Hockey stars! It all added up to a glamorous Midnight in Moscow as the CAG Gala drew over 400 guests to the stunning Embassy of the Russian Confederation on October 2. Mayor Adrian Fenty welcomed American and Russian guests to a VIP reception including hockey players Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin.

Ambassador Announces New Partnership with Arbat Historic District
During the sumptuous buffet (by Occasions Caterers) in the gorgeous ballroom, Ambassador Sergey Kislyak welcomed the crowd and officially announced the formation of a neighborhood relationship between Georgetown and the Arbat historic district in Moscow. The communities have much in common -- both neighborhoods are historic cradles of their two national capitals, they are home to many writers and artists, they both feature vibrant restaurants, galleries and boutiques and are popular tourist destinations. The Arbat is celebrating its 516th anniversary and, according to the Ambassador, is “ready to establish partnerships with CAG for cultural, business and youth cooperation.”

CAG President and Gala Co-Chair, Jennifer Altemus, and Councilmember Jack Evans presented awards to Sis and Jack Hedden and Mimsy Lindner “who have contributed generously of their time and resources to different aspects of life in our community.”

Honorees
Jack Hedden was a CAG Board Treasurer, and served on the vestry of Christ Church, on the Board of the Tudor Place Foundation, and on National Cathedral School Endowment Committee. Sis Hedden is a master of flower arranging and a certified judge for the Garden Club of America and excelled as president of the Georgetown Garden Club. She has also served on the Board of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and has been Chairman of the Board of the Corcoran College of Art and Design.

Mimsy Lindner is the Georgetown’s uber mom. For over ten years she has coached Georgetown kids soccer, cooked lunch for the seniors at St. Johns Church, worked with and for the homeless through the Georgetown Ministry, the Salvation Army and other church groups. She was and is a constant presence at various schools around town like the Intown Playgroup, Little Folks, Washington International School, Potomac School, Landon and Visitation. And as the dedicated president of the Friends of Volta Park she turned the park into one of Georgetown’s true treasures.

Auctions
WTOP Political Analyst Mark Plotkin was the auctioneer for a very competitive live auction featuring huge hand-painted panels from the late Nathan’s restaurant, a trip to Moscow, and an intriguing scavenger hunt/dinner for thirty people. This was all in addition to the amazing silent auction put together by Annie Lou Berman and Erika Donohue.

Sponsors
Our lead sponsors -- Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Kathy Melrod of Georgetown Long & Foster, and HSBC Bank -- were all in attendance, along with representatives from other supporting groups: Georgetown University, Georgetown University Hospital, M.C. Dean, Inc., Securitas Security Services USA, Inc, & Western Development Corporation, Clyde’s Restaurant Group, and The Georgetown Current.

A special thank you to Safeway for donating table flowers which were arranged beautifully by Constance Chatfield- Taylor and Gala Co-Chair, Lesley Lee. Kudos for the magnificent buffet flowers go to Betsy Rackley and Lee Child.

Dancing the Night Away
Doc Scantlin and his Imperial Palms orchestra conducted the waltz contest won my Sharron and David Lockwood, with exciting competition from Davis Kennedy and his partner, as well as Shaun Murphy with a mysterious professional dancer.

Photos
Photos are available on two websites: professional photographer Greg Tinius’ photos are viewable (and down-loadable) at http://tinius-photo.com/CAG-Gala-2009. Amateur photographer, Ryan Sullivan, took individual pictures of many guests. To view and order, go to Shutterfly.com and sign in using cagmail@cagtown.org as email and caggala as password. You can order prints of the photos from both sites.