You're Still the One

Dallas Cattle Baron's Ball celebrates 50 years with iconic gala starring Shania Twain

The word “Iconic” proved the perfect theme for the 50th anniversary Cattle Baron’s Ball. From record-breaking auction items to headliner Shania Twain, the 2023 edition of Dallas' ultimate Western-glam party was one for the ages.

More than 3,400 patrons packed the grounds of Southfork Ranch on October 14 for the big bash benefiting American Cancer Society. Co-chairs Isabell Novakov Higginbotham and Andrea Cheek guided a committee of more than 100 hard-working baronesses (clad in gold boots for CBB's golden anniversary) and countless more volunteers to pull together the sold-out, epic event.

Attendees donning all the rhinestones, sequins, feathers, fringe, and leather in DFW filed out of party buses, limos, and ride-shares. Saddled-up cowgirls and smiling, waving Kilgore Rangerettes welcomed them to 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 rollicking start. Mistress of ceremonies, NBC 5's Deborah Ferguson, gave a hearty welcome and introduced Texas country-rock giant Randy Rogers Band to the stage.

Early arrivals got the first chance to sip the night's signature “Iconic” cocktail, featuring Grey Goose Essences Watermelon Basil, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, and Topo Chico; and to nibble hors d’oeuvres like applewood bacon-wrapped apricots, bacon-wrapped quail, and smoked ancho pulled work with sweet apple chips and sweet potatoes.

At 7 pm, the masses arrived and the ball officially began. It was a picture-perfect fall evening to take a Ferris wheel ride at sunset, ride the mechanical bull, or mug for cute photos and videos at several different booths outside.

Cattle Baron's Ball 2023 The cowbell ringers got a workout during the live auction.Photo by Ashley Gongora

Most of the action took place inside the Conference Center, where each room was abuzz with activity. The main event was the massive 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 casino room was unusually busy. Not only were folks trying their luck at the gaming tables, but the room was home to some of the best cocktails of the night: fan-favorite espresso martinis featuring White Rhino coffee, and seasonally appropriate apple cider old fashioneds with Angel’s Envy Bourbon.

Inside the dining hall, Vestals Catering served up a "Flavors of Texas" buffet as big as the Lone Star State: prime beef brisket, smoked chicken thighs, cheese enchiladas, Mexican corn, mac & cheese, cole slaw, vegetables, and rolls and corn bread with Dallas honey butter.

A parade of cowgirl bell-ringing baronesses signaled it was time for the live auction to begin. This year's jaw-dropping prize packages and fantasy trips included an Orlando getaway with use of an entire JSX plane (sold for $37,500); a Libertine fashion experience (endorsed onstage by co-chair Higginbotham, sporting a custom Libertine Cattle Baron's 50th jacket; the package sold for $50,000); and an "Ultimate Tailgate" with Troy Aikman and chef Kent Rathbun (sold for $100,000).

Cattle Baron's Ball 2023 Chef Dean Fearing spurs on the crowd to bid for a chefs' dinner.Photo by Ashley Gongora

Each year, one of the most coveted auction items is a wine dinner prepared by some of Dallas' finest chefs — including Kent Rathbun, Dean Fearing, Nick Barclay, and Richard Chamberlain. In a poignant moment, Fearing told the crowd of his son’s recent battle with leukemia. After wild cheers and applause at the news that he's now cancer-free, two dinners were sold for $135,000 each, bringing in a record-breaking total of $270,000.

For the first time, a Cattle Baron’s “paddle raise ambassador” took the stage to help inspire direct giving. Ava Danuser, 17, of Highland Park, battled with a rare form of bone and tissue cancer called Ewing Sarcoma. After an emotional video, she emerged onstage and waved as patrons gave from $1,000 to $100,000. If the total (including matching funds) reached $1 million, a special fund would be named in her honor. The goal was reached.

Finally it was time to head into a sprawling tent for headliner Shania Twain. Making their way across the grounds, patrons picked up “concert snacks” including Frito pie in bags, popcorn, and “Texas trash” snack mix.

“I wore my party dress tonight,” said Twain, fitting right in with the CBB crowd, in her silver sequin minidress and black platform boots.

Cattle Baron's Ball Dallas 2023, Shania Twain Shania Twain swept through her biggest hits.Photo by Ashley Gongora

VIP patrons packed the standing-room area beneath the stage to fill their social media feeds with close-up pictures and videos. (A last-minute and unevenly enforced security measure, however, prohibited credentialed press photographers from shooting photos near the stage - a bummer for this story presentation.)

Fresh off a sold-out show at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena on her “Queen of Me” tour the night before, Twain swept through the biggest hits of her decades-long career without missing a beat. She had the crowd singing along in three-part harmony on “Honey I’m Home;” joining in on the chorus of her new song “Giddy Up!;” and yelling that famous line, "Okay, so you're Brad Pitt" on "That Don't Impress Me Much."

Remarkably, Twain was the first female entertainer ever to headline Cattle Baron’s Ball. She ended the night, appropriately, with “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!,” and cannons of turquoise confetti shot over the crowd.

Photo by Ashley Gongora

Katy Brooks, Kameron Westcott, Martha Greenberg, Lauren Stewart, Sharon Lee-Clark

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 Jordan Khan's Taylor Pace Orchestra band revved up the after-party until 2 am.

Cattle Baron's Ball 2023 Dallas Sierra Jones poses with the famous Ewing Cadillac in front of a Neiman Marcus vintage CBB fashion presentation.Photo by Ashley Gongora

Among the thousands spotted in the crowd, enjoying the night, were Megan Clark, Catherine Woodall, Jane Humphrey, Vodi Meagher, Tyler Catlett, Damian Wingate, Stephanie Fischer-Wingate, John McCarley, Judith Garcia-Curzio, Alexis Bourn-Lipsett, Ben Lipsett, Abby Muggerud, Ashton Ulrich, Shevawn Barder, Olivia Barder, Bree Dahl, Rachel Haefliger, Micheal Marsh, Chae Marsh, Hillary Hancock, Claire Phillips, Logan Vanderslice, Allie Woldert, Jean-Charles Alvarez, Jessica Jesse, Peggy Panosh, Susan Alvarez, Peter Bowers, Traci Mcguiness, Mary Ellen Young, Janis Crayvens, Katie Kennemer, Alissa Wikert, Mandy Blount, Ese Azenabor, Nipa Nobel, Katy Brooks, Kameron Westcott, Martha Greenberg, Lauren Stewart, Sharon Lee-Clark, Sierra Jones, Ilana Levy, Tina Rich, Kim Resnick, Tanya Davis, Cinthia Everett, Annie Fernández, Courtney Derderian, Jamie Charles, Jacque Wynne, Catherine Fullam, Corky Nix, Jonika Nix, Katherine Wynne, Doug Box, Paris Lovelady, Sierra Hughes, Micheal Simpson, Alley Murchison, Beth Albright, Salvator La Mastera, Austin Phillips, Steven Safra, and Alex Hicks.

Cattle Baron’s Ball is the premier fundraiser for the American Cancer Society in North Texas, and has raised more than $93 million since its inception in 1974. The 2022 event alone raised $4,170,617.

The ball is the largest single-night fundraising event for cancer research in the world.

fundraisers charity concerts celebrities galas

Centerstage spotlight

Showstopping Dallas Theater Center gala raises the curtain on a new era

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Zeke Williams, Grace Cook, Jeff Netzer, Lynn McBee, Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart

On a picture-perfect Saturday night, more than 250 of Dallas’ most devoted arts patrons gathered at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre for CENTERSTAGE 42, the annual gala benefiting Dallas Theater Center. The elegant evening on May 2 proved to be both a celebration of Dallas theater’s past and a curtain-raising for its future.

As the sun began to set across the Diane and Hal Brierley Esplanade in the Dallas Arts District, guests descended the outdoor staircase for an al fresco cocktail reception. One popular stop was just inside the doors of the lobby: A "Ziya" digital photo booth from local company Make Life Sweeter that turned patrons' posed photos into stylized watercolor portraits.

Throughout the venue, installations highlighting Dallas Theater Center’s Public Works initiative reminded attendees that the organization’s impact stretches from the stage to the neighborhoods of North Texas.

A multicourse dinner was served on the stage inside the Potter Rose Performance Hall, making attendees feel like the stars of the show in the intimate, theatrical atmosphere.

One of the night’s most meaningful moments came with the presentation of the prestigious Linda and Bill Custard Award to Larry Angelilli, recognized for more than three decades of leadership and advocacy that helped shape Dallas’ cultural landscape. The gala also paused to honor the memories of two beloved arts patrons, Linda Custard and Sarah Warnecke, both longtime champions of Dallas Theater Center and the broader arts community.

Inspired by their example, guests bid high for fabulous live auction items, including trips to Palm Springs and Hawaii and a private dinner with actor Michael Urie at a home on White Rock Lake. A paddle raise followed, with patrons giving generously all around the room.

Every $100 counted - from upstage, downstage, and closer to the wings - as the sold-out fundraiser's earnings totaled an impressive $545,000 in support of the Tony Award-winning theater company and its education and community engagement programs, including Project Discovery, Summer Stage, Saturday Sessions, and Community Workshops.

It wouldn't have been a theater benefit without a showstopping performer. When scheduled headliner Michael Urie was called away for filming commitments tied to Shrinking, Dallas Theater Center called on homegrown talent — and the result brought the crowd to its feet. Broadway performer Tiffany Mann, a DFW native with credits including Be More Chill and Waitress, delivered a powerhouse performance - and a few sparkly outfit changes.

The entire program was emceed by Bri Woods and Akron Watson, both fresh off Dallas Theater Center’s acclaimed production of Ragtime. Woods, an SMU Meadows graduate and Linda and Bill Custard Meadows Actor in the Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company, represented the next generation of Dallas theater talent, while Tony-, Grammy-, and Emmy-winning Watson brought Broadway pedigree and star power to the gala stage.

This year’s gala leadership reflected the milestone spirit of the evening. Rather than appointing a single chair, Dallas Theater Center reunited gala chairs from the past decade to lead CENTERSTAGE 42 collectively. Leadership included Jennifer and Peter Altabef, Mickie and Jeff Bragalone, Stephanie Byrd, Scott Davis, Melinda Johnson, Brett Levy, Michelle Lockhart, Ann Mahowald, Deborah McMurray, Scott Moore, Scott Orr, Andy Smith, Paul Von Wupperfeld, Hamilton Sneed, and Krista Farber Weinstein.

The evening also marked an exciting turning point for Dallas Theater Center as it prepares to enter a new era under incoming Enloe/Rose Artistic Director Jaime Castañeda, a TCU grad who is making his return to DFW. The affable leader introduced himself to the audience with a few fun personal anecdotes (including one involving an Easter bunny suit) and expressed his enthusiasm for the vision and direction of DTC.

Cheers went up as Castañeda made a surprise announcement: That The Lehman Trilogy would be the final show in DTC's 2026-27 season.

Upon retrieving their cars from valet, guests departed with an ingenious gift on their front seat: A thank-you note and invitation for two tickets to the DTC's next production, the world premiere of Jonathan Norton's play Malcolm X and Redd Foxx Washing Dishes at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack in Harlem -on stage now through June 7. "We look forward to welcoming you back to the theater!" read the note.

Spotted in the crowd, enjoying the evening, were DTC patrons and supporters including Zeke Williams, Grace Cook, Jeff Netzer, Lynn McBee, Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart, Ann Mahowald, Michelle Lockhart, Hamilton A Sneed, Krista Farber Weinstein, Caroline Hamilton, Brandi Willis, Paul von Wupperfeld, Andy Smith, Mickie Bragalone, Jeff Bragalone, Deborah McMurray, Glen Davison, Cynthia Smoot, Jeff Netzer, Jeremy Lock, D'Andra Simmons Lock, Lynn Richardson, Elvenn Richardson, Michelle Lockhart, Krista Weinstein, Paul von Wupperfeld, Sarah Jackson, Andy Smith, and many more. (Scroll through the photos, above, to see highlights of the night.)

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Zeke Williams, Grace Cook, Jeff Netzer, Lynn McBee, Kristina Kirkenaer-Hart

dallas theater center theater galas

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Centerstage spotlight

Showstopping Dallas Theater Center gala raises the curtain on a new era