The Smith Family Farm: Up Close and Personal
With just two weeks away until the 4th Annual Back on the Farm event at the Atlanta History Center, I thought it would be a great idea to meet up with my contact beforehand to see the animals and the farm in living color! Katherine Hoogerwerf, Director of Development Events, has been very accommodating from the beginning in regards to the upcoming event. My photographer Lindsay and I got a chance to meet up with Katherine to take a tour and to gain a bit of history behind the Smith Family Farm. Along with Katherine, we also met up with Brett Bannor (Manager of Animal Collections) and Kelly Bradley who is Director of 19th Century Historic Houses.
I must say, to be an Atlanta native and walk in on the beautiful forest grounds of the Atlanta History Center for the very first time, I was really amazed at what all was out there! This farm is a special treasure strategically tucked in the back of the historic center and a definite must see! Katherine tells us that they have about 30,000 school children who visit the farm every year and that Back on the Farm helps to support the funds needed to take care of these farm animals. In fact, after meeting Brett, our first stop was to check out the 4 Sheep and 2 Goats, all mother to son pairs, who just happened to be grubbing at the time of our visit. Brett tells us that he has been a farmer there for nearly 4 years now. And it was pretty obvious from his interaction with the animals that he has a genuine love and admiration for them individually in their respective element.
"Tallulah"
Along with the sheep and goats and a very cool, low-key farm cat by the name of "Dodger" we met, we also got an opportunity to see Brett interacting hands on with the chicken hens and a turkey they call "Tallulah"! Funny thing, as soon as Brett enters into their habitat, Tallulah is the first to run up and greet him. Kelly Bradley shared with us that they don't eat the animals on the farm for Back on the Farm, but that the hens and turkey are very generous with providing eggs on a daily basis. Kelly also tells us that many of the farm houses had been there since the 1970s and several of which were transported from different places and reconstructed on the property to preserve their authenticity and historic value!
And then, on to the immense river of fresh garden vegetables lacing the Smith Family Farm... We seriously came across some stuff in the garden that even my "green thumb" north Georgian family members have never introduced me to! There was Seminole squash, African fish peppers, cayenne peppers, asparagus, cucumbers, corn, carrots, cotton plants and an array of herbs that I'm not sure that I could spell! Kelly tells us that the meals prepared for September 30th are actually inspired by many of these fresh garden vegetables. In addition to that, guests and patrons of the event can anticipate a LIVE auction that evening. In fact, this year, they will auction off tickets to Hamilton on Broadway!
The 4th Annual Back on the Farm Social will take place on Friday, September 30th beginning at 6PM with pre-dinner cocktails followed by a seated dinner at 8PM in the Grand Overlook.
For more information or to purchase tickets to Back on the Farm, please visit www.atlantahistorycenter.com or contact Katherine Hoogerwerf at 404.814.4102 or KHoogerwerf@AtlantaHistoryCenter.com for details.
See also my previous post including more details regarding the event by clicking on this link.
Images Courtesy of Lindsay Abarca Photography
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Spotlight Feature: Young Gent, Tony Betton aka T-Rep
On Thursday, July 23, 2015, Dress Like A Gent (DLAG) had the opportunity to attend the Usher’s New Look Foundation's (UNL) United to Ignite Awards and Sweet 16 Celebration as a media affiliate on behalf of Urban Lux Magazine. The event as a whole was simply brilliant from start to finish and left no time for a dull moment. This event celebrated 16 years for Usher's organization and awarded key players and sponsors who have made a major impact on the company's success. Among some of these individuals included celebrity Ludacris who was the main emcee along with many other pivotal persons including Georgia Lieutenant Governor, Casey Cagle who was one of the 2015 UNL Honorees for Education.
Following the silent auction in the main lobby of The St. Regis Hotel, the guests were directed into the ballroom where the ceremony was scheduled to take place. The sea of elegant round dining tables were numbered strategically and delegated to a mixture of sponsors, media personnel, family members of UNL students and alumni as well as one youth member of UNL as a direct point of reference. Mother to Tony Betton aka T-Rep, Ms. Sheryl Brown, was seated at the same table as DLAG. Ms. Brown explained how her son was the co-emcee for the ceremony and is one of the many success stories that went through Usher’s New Look Foundation.
T-Rep is definitely a young gentleman to watch and one who is a natural leader in his own right. Since the age of 9, Tony has been immersed in both entertainment and public speaking, his mother expounds. To date, he continues to seize great opportunities in the realm of public speaking, community youth building, music, business and the arts. Needless to say, his presentation in front of a mass of business professionals and celebrity personalities was flawless. He didn’t miss a beat!
This young leader is a gent of character, poise and great ambition. There is no doubt that he will continue to see magnificent doors of engagement open up to him wherever he goes. He currently is a sophomore at Georgia State University majoring in Broadcasting.
For more details in reference to this event and The UNL Foundation, please visit DLAG’s Urban Lux Magazine Contribution entitled A Very Sweet 16 to
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Alliance Française Presents... Bastille Day 2015
On the pinnacle of the Nelson Mullins Law building located at Atlantic Station, the Alliance Française d’Atlanta hosted a most unforgettable and elegant Soirée Blanche Bastille Day Celebration and fundraiser with members, invites and business sponsors present.
Every year, in celebration of France’s July 14th Independence Day aka Jour de la Bastille, the Alliance Française d’Atlanta hosts an all white party and fundraiser that, this year, managed to raise over 40K. AF is by no means a rookie when it comes to hosting major cultural events in the city as they have been doing so for over a decade now. This, being my first year participating in the Bastille Day celebration with AF was from beginning to end, an absolute treasure that I will never disremember. Speaking with other guests at the event including one of the volunteers, Mr. Dasef Weems who has participated for many years, he states that this is by far his favorite event and that most everyone's most common reaction of the event always goes reverts to this one thing: "The view is super classy and perfect for a classy event". Classy indeed, it was! The look of everyone dressed uniformly in their fine white ensembles really created an ambiance of anticipation and respect for this annual Bastille Day event.
The first thing that I remember upon getting off the elevator was hearing the sounds of the acoustic instrumentalists resounding in the hallway. Musicians Keith Cooper and Donald Rogers were playing their hearts out on the guitar and provided the perfect background music for this caliber of an event. This year’s Bastille Celebration featured a wide host of sponsors and support including but not limited to: The Atlantan, Dyptique, l'Occitane, UPS, Le Jardin Français, Trinity Productions, Dior and Anne Fontaine. And the food selection absolutely wowed us!
There were two exclusive rooms that quickly filled up with guests. One of which had a king's buffet of some of the most common French cuisine items such as coq at vin, smoked salmon, ratatouille, vegetable crudités and more. The second room held an array of delectable French-Inspired deserts such as Macaroons as well as other creamy, quick-bite sweets. There was also a silent auction that took place during the course of the night, which worked very favorably toward raising funds for the benefit. All proceeds go toward the year-round educational and cultural programs organized and hosted by the Alliance Française d’Atlanta.
As the evening progressed and the announcement came for the guests to move toward the outdoor terrace for the opening of the fashion show, there seemed to be a general sense of anticipation to see these handpicked models strut down the catwalk in their all white elegant Anne Fontaine ensembles. The rooftop stage and seating was lined up flawlessly to accommodate the on-lookers as the music began to play. One by one, these stunning ladies walked down the catwalk with total confidence and poise representing the Anne Fontaine brand as if it were their own. There were applauds and gazes of fascination throughout the course of the show. Needless to say, their makeup was perfectly done by The 2015 Bastille Day Soirée with Alliance Française exclusive Dior events stafffrom out of Phipps Plaza’s Sax 5th Avenue.
As the event came to a closing and people began to wind down, there was a gradual growing of people borrowing that same terrace runway to dance the night away! When you see the LIVE rose gold sunset at a view like the one we saw on the Nelson Mullins rooftop with the amazing skyline of Atlanta, you can't help but want to take advantage of every moment dancing and enjoying each otherspresence. Simply put, this event was nothing less that remarkable! Another huge félicitations to AF for putting together yet another winning event! Soirée Blanche was held on the evening of a beautiful Saturday, July 18, 2015.
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The 8th Annual Doggies on the Catwalk 2015: A Recap
photo credit: TKO Photographic
On June 13, 2015, the highly anticipated Doggies on the Catwalk Fundraiser was hosted at one of the most ideal venues in the city, Buckhead Atlanta. Now 8 years strong, this event has managed to gain more and more support by big name celebrities, top designers and many other very influential sponsors. The brains behind this amazing vision, Mr. Vincent Martinez aka Fashionado along with a team of witty sponsors successfully raised over 35K for the Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption. The evening was extremely engaging from start to finish. Monica Pearson emceed the show and ushered in models who sported brands such as:
Christian Louboutin
Helmut Lang
Alice & Olivia
Bella Bag, Bonobos
Brunello Cucinelli
Theory
Jimmy Choo
Let us not forget the doggies strutting down the catwalk who stole the show accompanied by these celebrity models!
Among some of these amazing pooches were Thaddeus, a 2-year old corgi blend, Maximilian, a cockapoo, Jolene, a terrier blend, Gabbana, a Jack Russell Terrier and many others. These K9s had been recovered, rehabilitated and cared for by Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption. The purpose of the event was to showcase pets that need to be adopted, many of which have been since their debut. Additionally, Doggies on the Catwalk sponsored a silent auction to raise funds for Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption to assist in furthering their efforts to rescue and restore these abandoned animals.
Buckhead Atlanta supplied the guests with various selections of beverages served from an outdoor bar along with hors d'oeuvres from their on-site restaurants. Some of the foods included scrumptious goat cheese balls sprinkles in almonds, tuna bruschetta, gourmet olives, a plethora of fresh fruit and more. Needless to say, there was not a dull moment at Doggies on the Catwalk! The weather was exceptional and the venue and its players were very accommodating throughout the entire night. This social event was the perfect fundraiser; very entertaining and well-thought-out. A Big thanks goes to Vincent Martinez and his team who have not only exposed us to the needs of the Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption but given us greater expectations for Doggies on the Catwalk in 2016!
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