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Pinellas social scene

 
Hillary Cone of St. Petersburg and Lynda Jollay, member of the Host Committee, ride in a limo to the Wine and Whiskey Wonder, A Grape Escape, a Museum of Fine Arts fundraiser.
Hillary Cone of St. Petersburg and Lynda Jollay, member of the Host Committee, ride in a limo to the Wine and Whiskey Wonder, A Grape Escape, a Museum of Fine Arts fundraiser.
Published Feb. 11, 2016

2.6.16

They say getting there is half the fun. This certainly was the case for the Museum of Fine Arts' Great Escape party. Guests were picked up at their homes by limousines and taken to an undisclosed destination.

The Margaret Acheson Stuart Society orchestrated the event, which was part of the Wine, Whiskey & Wonder weekend that also included a Friday night party for sponsors and a Sunday jazz brunch at the museum.

Close to 90 guests who donated $1,000 or more to attend the Great Escape were escorted in the rain by drivers carrying large umbrellas from their front doors to stretch limousines.

"Can someone in there pull my skirt up so I can get in gracefully," joked Lynn Lettunich as she entered the limo with her friend Lynda Jollay, a member of the host committee.

Once all the silk and sequined skirts were smoothed and the Prosecco was poured, someone in my limo suggested the 14 guests introduce ourselves.

When it was vascular surgeon Steve Collins' turn, he deadpanned: "Hi, I'm Steve and I'm majoring in psychology," referencing name games from freshman dorms. His wife, Cathy Collins, laughed along with other guests including Heather Sellers, Glenn and Dav Mosby and Daryl DeBerry. John-Edward Alley and Beth Rutberg of Tampa have been coming to Museum of Fine Arts events for several years.

"We think you should cross the bridge and support both sides," Rutberg said.

Nobody knew where the party was taking place, but when the limo crossed the Howard Frankland Bridge headed east, Dav Mosby took a guess: "We'regoing to the airport. Does everybody have their passport?"

No party planes took off, but guests were excited to land in the rooftop revolving restaurant at the Tampa Airport Marriott. What used to be CK's closed to the public in 2013 but is available for private events.

Host committee members Dimity Carlson, Carol Russell and others led guests to their tables labeled "Monet," "Mattise" and "da Vinci." Dinner tables paid homage to 13 different artists. The Dali table featured a surreal metal ship with butterflies and roses in the sails. The Peter Max table was laced with psychedelic rainbows and peace signs. The Georgia O'Keeffe table's centerpiece appeared to be an animal skull, a signature of the artist's Southwestern pieces.

Bart O'Brien, a Boca Ciega High School graduate who now owns a vineyard in Napa Valley, donated all the wine that was paired with each of the night's five courses. He also donated a vacation at his O'Brien Estate Winery to the party's auction. O'Brien and his wife bought the property after success in Silicon Valley. He was introduced to the Great Escape event by Jackie and Doug Nelson of Brandon.

Along with the wine, guests raved about the menu, which included a brussels sprouts salad, truffle pasta, bison, and bananas Foster.

The museum's new curator, Jerry Smith, and wife, Vickie, who recently moved from the Phoenix Art Museum, met plenty of MFA supporters. Jerry Smith said his goal is make sure works of art are educational and interesting to everyone.

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He is excited about the new exhibit, the Art of the Classical Guitar, which opens tomorrow and will feature guitars from 1890 to the present.

For those who were still standing on Sunday, the jazz brunch featured an omelette bar and shrimp and grits bar. Committee member Rachael Russell commented to Melissa Rutland how glad she was that so many people were dancing during the party the night before.

There was no tally on the amount raised yet, but she said early projections indicate it was "incredibly successful."

Datebook

The Florida Holocaust Museum is holding a celebration and fundraiser Thursday at 6 p.m. to mark the official opening for a new retrospective of works created by Samuel Bak, a Holocaust survivor and child prodigy who began painting in the Vilna Ghetto. $200.

Sip and Sea, the Junior League's preview party for its Whale of a Sale, is Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m. It includes exclusive shopping, two cocktails, appetizers, cash bar and music. $50. Seville Square Shopping Center, 2812 54th Ave. S, St. Petersburg.

Wear classic shuffleboard attire for the St. Petersburg Museum of History's fundraiser at the Mirror Lake Shuffleboard Club in St. Petersburg at 6 p.m. Feb. 20. Open bar, food, music by the Black Honkeys and admission to Chillounge Night after 9:30 p.m. $75.