On a balmy Saturday evening women in floral evening gowns and men in tuxedos strolled the gardens of the Nassau County Museum of Art sipping champagne and enjoying hors d’oeuvres while wearing decorative masks to celebrate a milestone birthday, the museum’s 25th anniversary.
The annual museum ball, a fundraiser for the museum, had a theme of Masquerade in the Garden complementing their current exhibition Garden Party that will run until July 6. Guests who paid $100 for a raffle ticket had the opportunity to take a chance on winning a diamond ring valued at $3,200 donated by Ambalu Jewelers of East Hills, and were given an opportunity to select one of the many festive masks created by Joe Pescatore and Kandice Seitz and the students from Nassau Community College. As an additional bonus they received a surprise piece of jewelry wrapped in a silver box with white ribbon also donated by Ambalu.
There was a silent auction during the cocktail hour where guests could bid on such items as trips on a yacht for 10 to the Statue of Liberty, jewelry, golf outings, brunch at the Garden City Hotel, vineyard tours on the East End, among the many varied selections all donated. Money raised from this event goes to educational programs that serve children, seniors, student and constituents with special needs to engage and inform audiences about the works of art.
Angela Susan Anton, publisher of Anton Community Newspapers and the ball chair, looked stunning in a blue and white floral evening gown as she mingled with the 230 guests, among them, Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano and his wife Linda.
The main event took place under a tent with tables filled with candles and floral arrangements of fragrant yellow lilies, pink roses and cobalt blue delphiniums. Spheres of grape vines with twinkling lights hung from the ceiling over the dance floor while guests rocked out to jazz, disco and pop. Dinner catered by Robbins Wolfe Eventeurs consisted of a spring floral green salad, the main course of tenderloin of beef and swordfish brochette and dessert was delicious strawberry shortcake.
“I wanted to thank all of the people of the committee and donors who made this such a special night,” said Anton. “We were so pleased with the music, the food, the decorations and the ambience. Everyone had a wonderful evening and we were able to raise a lot of money to help with our programs thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and donors.”
As the evening wound down with guests still dancing until midnight, many women ditched their high-heel shoes and partied the night away, ending another night at the Nassau County Museum of Art.
For more information, go to membership@nassaumuseum.org or call 516-484-9338.
