Everyone who is anyone was at the Birthday Party Project’s fourth anniversary celebration: Wayne and Garth, Gilly, Mike Ditka, the Blues Brothers, Mary Catherine Gallagher, Harry Caray, the Spartan cheerleaders, Stefon, and the Coneheads.
The theme, in case you couldn’t tell, was “Live From Dallas, It’s Saturday Night,” a riff on the pop culture pervasiveness of Saturday Night Live. From the Weekend Update desk to edible offerings such as the Lunch Lady’s brisket Reuben and Baldwin’s Schweddy Balls gyro, co-chairs Julian Leaver and Jennifer Burns made sure even the tiniest detail would have been Lorne Michaels-approved.
Guests — including Debbie Frazier, Lynn and Allan McBee, Deborah Bigham, Molly and Will Folse, Heidi and Phillip Fristoe, Megan and Carson Hall, JB Hayes, Nick Kennedy, former Dallas Stars player Marty Turco and wife Kelly, Emily Clarke, and Detroit Tigers player Bryan Holaday and wife Ashley — were treated to Patron cocktails while chowing down on snacks from some of the most notable restaurants and chefs in Dallas.
Kinsler’s Kids, the foundation established by professional baseball player Ian Kinsler and his wife, Tess, and Credit Suisse presented the evening, which also featured a packed silent auction and music by Jordan Kahn Music Company and DJs Jennifer Miller and Paul Paredes.
The Birthday Party Project brings joy to homeless children through the magic of birthdays. Founder and CEO Paige Chenault founded the nonprofit in 2012, and since then it has celebrated more than 1,900 birthdays with more than 15,000 children in attendance.
Craig O'Neill, Paige Chenault, Mandy O'Neill
