Denim & rhinestones

Dallas Cattle Baron's Ball 2024 wrangles record $7.1 million

Cattle Baron's Ball 2024 chairs Marjon Henderson and Lora Farris had chosen the theme "New Horizons" for their Carrie Underwood-headlined event. By the end of the night, they'd changed their anthem to her hit "Blown Away."

"We just broke every record!" Henderson enthused as she passed out hugs during the live auction.

The big record they were going for was $100 million - a grand total raised in all 51 years of Cattle Baron's Ball. Entering the night, they only had a couple million to go. No sweat for this event. And, they made it.

Henderson and Farris revealed on November 6 that the grand total raised at the 2024 ball was (drumroll, please) $7,122,663.

Cattle Baron's Ball is the largest single-night fundraiser in the nation for cancer research through the American Cancer Society.

It's also Dallas' biggest party of the year.

Dallas Cattle Baron's Ball 2024 Cattle Baron's Ball chairs Lora Farris and Marjon Henderson with some special four-legged guests at the entrance.Photo by Haynsworth Photography

On Saturday, September 28, more than 3,000 party-goers, cowgirl'd and cowboy'd up in their Western-glammy best, descended from party buses and rideshare SUVs to the grounds of Southfork Ranch in Parker. Henderson and Farris, along with their volunteer committee 100 women strong, greeted guests on the famous grounds of the TV show Dallas, site of the first Cattle Baron’s Ball in 1974.

An exclusive VIP party, presented by Anne Davidson inside the Southfork Ranch Event and Conference Center, got the evening off to a festive start. Mistress of ceremonies, NBC 5's Deborah Ferguson, gave a hearty welcome and introduced '90s country tribute band Straight Tequila Night to the stage.

Early arrivals got the first chance to sip the night's signature “Cowboy Casanova” and "Take the Wheel" cocktails, featuring Grey Goose Vodka and Patron Cristalino Tequila, respectively. Longtime CBB-ers know to pace themselves when it comes to food; the entire night is a frenzy of glorious gluttony (keep reading). VIPs nibbled on lobster quesadillas, mini grilled cheese, bacon-wrapped jalapeno popper bites, Dublin Dr Pepper short ribs, Frito pie, and more.

Photo by Haynsworth Photography

Guests inside the Mizzen + Main Sports Lounge.

At 7 pm, the masses arrived and the party really got started. It was a picture-perfect fall evening to take a Ferris wheel ride at sunset or pose for souvenir photos at one of the many interactive photo booths around the grounds.

Each room inside the Conference Center was buzzing with activity. The main event, as always, was the enormous silent auction. Bidders browsed and bid via smartphones for hundreds items from local retailers, restaurants, exquisite jewelry and fashion, trips, home decor, sports and music memorabilia, and more. The showpiece of the room was a stunning blue gown by Dallas designer Ese Azenabor, up for auction and bought for thousands.

For the first time ever, Neiman Marcus sponsored a "Glam Room," where guests could get get makeup touch-ups, enjoy a trendy Hugo Spritz cocktail, and enjoy Neiman Marcus' famous chocolate chip cookies. Next door, folks could shop for boots, cowboy hats, and jewelry at the event's first-ever Marketplace. (Considering everyone was wearing some combination of boots, jewelry, or hats, the room stayed impressively full of people trying on and buying.)

The Casino stayed busy, and so did a Mizzen + Main Sports Lounge next door. Note to next year's organizers: Stock up on the White Rhino espresso martinis. Fans remembered the hand-shaken delights from last year, the line stayed long, and supplies ran out early.

Time for more food. Vestals Catering served up an outdoor buffet as big as Texas: smoked bistro filet; smoked and jalapeno sausages; spicy peach-glazed chicken thighs; butternut squash, kale, and mushroom enchiladas; Texas caviar, cobbler with Blue Bell ice cream, and more.

Dallas Cattle Baron's Ball 2024 A getaway to Mexico was one of several fabulous trips auctioned off for thousands.Photo by Haynsworth Photography

At 8:15 pm, Cowgirl bell-ringing baronesses signaled it was time for the live auction to begin. Led by lively auctioneer Letitia Frye (herself a cancer survivor, she announced), this year's jaw-dropping prize packages and fantasy trips included a Napa wine weekend (sold for $55,000); best seats in the house for the forthcoming Carrie Underwood concert (sold for $75,000) and an "Ultimate Tailgate" with Troy Aikman (sold three times for $75,000).

Each year, one of the most coveted auction items is a wine dinner prepared by some of Dallas' finest chefs — including Kent Rathbun and Dean Fearing. Two dinners were sold for $200,000 each, bringing in a record-breaking total of $400,000.

A “paddle raise” initiative around the room raised an additional $1 million to name a grant in honor of Kace Phillips, a Dallas resident and CBB supporter who died of glioblastoma last January. His wife, Claire, and their young children appeared on stage to remember him and encourage the fundraising.

Finally, it was time to head into a sprawling tent for headliner Carrie Underwood. Making their way across the grounds, patrons picked up portable “concert snacks” including dill pickle popcorn, rosemary potato chips, and ginger molasses cookies.

Dressed in black sequin shorts and denim-rhinestone jacket, Underwood played a high-wattage show for more than an hour. The crowd crooned along to her biggest hits, from "Church Bells" to "Cowboy Casanova" to "Before He Cheats," and threw their hands into the air, church revival-style, for "Jesus Take the Wheel." Her cover of Guns 'N Roses "Paradise City," for which she shed her denim jacket and head-banged her long blond hair, got the audience rocking along, too.

Dallas Cattle Baron's Ball 2024 The crowd gathers inside the concert tent for the Carrie Underwood show.Photo by Haynsworth Photography

Those who wanted to catch early Ubers home ended the night there, while those who wanted to make a late night of it gathered back inside on the dance floor beneath the Live Auction stage, where Manhattan Orchestra band revved up the after-party until 2 am.

And, oh yes, there was more food for late-night revelers: breakfast tacos; a deep-fried station of tater tots, fried pickles, and onion rings; burgers, and sliders. And for good measure, a Raising Cane's food truck showed up with chicken fingers, too.

Going into the 2024 event, Cattle Baron’s Ball had raised more than $98 million since its inception in 1974. The November 6 check presentation for more than $7 million no doubt had the beneficiaries singing "Blown Away."

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The story originally was published on October 2, 2024. It was updated with the total amount raised on November 7, 2024.

american cancer society carrie underwood cattle baron's ball celebrities fundraisers galas neiman marcus

Mosaic of millinery

Mad Hatter's 2026 brings beautiful tableau of chapeaux to Dallas Arboretum

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It is tradition that each chair of the Dallas Mad Hatter's Luncheon should choose a new theme for each new year - to start with a blank canvas, so to speak. But if a future chair were to repeat the 2026 theme "The Art of the Garden," it's hard to fathom anyone would complain.

This year's most-anticipated spring luncheon wove the setting itself - the Dallas Arborteum and Botanical Garden - into an event mosaic of marvelous millinery, modeling of fine fashion, and mingling with friends over food and drink.

The artsy theme was chosen by chairs Reagan Pace, Sheridan Reeder, and honorary chair Anne Stodghill as a way to honor the Dallas arts community, including the city's museums, artists, the Dallas Art Fair, and the burgeoning gallery scene. It also happened to coincide - "as if we had commissioned it ourselves," they write in the program - with sculpture artist Hunt Slonem's large-scale exhibition, "Bunnies, Birds & Butterflies," which had just opened on the grounds of the Arboretum days before the April 25 luncheon.

Like any masterpiece, Mad Hatter's 2026 also took some risks, rearranged some focal points, and elicited emotion from those in attendance - from awe to "aw dang, it's warm out here."

Now in its 38th year, Mad Hatter's remains the beloved fundraising event sponsored by the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. It's also one of the most coveted tickets in town.

Mad Hatter's 2026 This group went all in on a Monet "Water Lilies" theme. Photo by Ashley Gongora

A few hundred VIPs mingled on the Ginsburg Plaza, clad in their finest floral frocks and with bubbly in hand, for a first look at each other's hats and the first chance to bid on silent auction items. Guests went all out in their execution of the "art" theme - from fascinators featuring Monet's "Water Lilies" to big hats with paint brushes and palettes.

It was also the first time folks got to view the new set-up for the event's fashion show. Instead of the traditional catwalk inside Rosine Hall, the runway would be the al fresco pathway through the garden between Rosine and A Tasteful Place (a risk, considering it had been a cloudy, windy morning). Pretty paper parasols had been placed on each seat, which would prove useful not only as sun protection, but as seat place holders.

At 11 am, clouds parted, the sun came out, and the crowd of about 500 took their seats (and opened their parasols) for the fashion show featuring the designs of acclaimed Dallas designer Esé Azenabor. The unmistakable intro to Abba's "Dancing Queen" came over the speakers, and to the audience's surprise and delight, a group of little girls - not grown-up fashion models - appeared on the stage. Walking two by two on the runway, they modeled Azenabor's darling new children's collection.

Then, legendary fashion show producer Jan Strimple began sending models out to showcase more than 50 stunning looks by Azenabor, including breathtaking ballgowns and wedding gowns with intricate ornamentation and draping. The audience was so close to the runway that the rhythmic "swishing" of silk and "clinking" of beading could be heard as the models walked by. "I felt like I was Anna Wintour at the front row of Fashion Week," one attendee could be overheard saying. The program provided descriptions and prices for all the designs - from slightly less than $1,000 to $28,000 - adding to the fairy tale of it all.

Mad Hatter's 2026 One of the stunning couture gowns in the Ese Azenabor fashion show. Photo by Ashley Gongora

Instead of the luncheon following the fashion show this year, an outdoor reception took place around the plaza. Here, the hat judges got up-close looks at the most impressive creations of the day, and guests posed for each other's photos and videos. DJ Lucy Wrubel - wearing a party-ready hat topped with a champage bottle - kept the beats lively.

With temperatures pushing toward 85 degrees, some patrons headed inside to the air-conditioned relief of Rosine Hall and A Tasteful Place, and began enjoying the cold water set at their place for lunch.

The big moment came when hat awards were announced in seven art-themed categories. Winners and judges were:

The Inaugural Carole Ann Brown Best in Show: Prashe Shah (judged by honorary chair Anne Stodghill)
Italian Masters: Debbie Murray ("classical creations," judged by Capera Ryan)
Impressionists: D&M Leasing group ("best group category," judged by Nicole Myers)
Surrealism: Elizabeth Smith ("over the top creations," judged by Sharon Lee Clarke)
Rococo: Sarah Ring ("best use of live botanicals," judged by Eliot Whitall)
Cubism: Allison Brodnax’s group ("monochromatic geometry," judged by Hannah Fagadau)
Pop Art: Erin Jett ("brightly colored tribute to pop culture," judged by John Sughrue)

Mad Hatter's 2026 "Surrealism" category winner Elizabeth Smith, whose hat twirled around like a carousel. Photo by Ashley Gongora

At tables adorned with gorgeous spring floral centerpieces by Gro Designs and The T Shop, guests dined on a spring salad of mixed greens, feta, candied pecans, pickled onions, and champagne vinaigrette; a plate of finger sandwiches (chicken salad and pimento cheese), Greek pasta salad, and mini mandarin orange souffle; and a decadent individual carrot cake for dessert. Wine stewards kept glasses filled.

Attendees adjusted their hats for some final photos at the valet line, and picked up their swag bags filled with goodies from Eataly.

Money raised through Mad Hatter's assists with the development, growth and maintenance of A Woman’s Garden, a major garden at the Arboretum.

Scroll through the photos, above, to see who was there and glimpse all the highlights of the hats, fashion show, and more.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

The winning group of the "Impressionists" category in the hat contest.

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