Posh parties

Celebs and society set turn out for Delilah Dallas’ glam Opening Party

What: Delilah Dallas VIP Opening Party

Where: Delilah Dallas, 1616 High Line Dr., in the Design District

The 411: A high-energy crowd of Dallas' most fashionable society set, influencers, and sports and entertainment stars packed the new Delilah Dallas restaurant and club for an invitation-only grand opening party on Thursday, January 29.

Delilah is the glam Los Angeles supper club known for its celebrity clientele, live music, and chic art deco vibe, that officially opened the doors to the public in Dallas on February 3.

According to the event organizers, model Kendall Jenner, who's a fan of the brand, stopped in early for a super-special sneak peek, where she sampled the food, including her namesake "Kendall's Slutty Brownie" dessert; the restaurant will be carrying her 818 Tequila.

Keeping up with Kendall, other celebs who scored party invites included Grammy winner and Fort Worth native Leon Bridges; Cowboys star Ceedee Lamb; NFL player Von Miller; and actors Kevin Miles Jr. (aka "Jake from State Farm" commercials), Jaleel White (aka Urkel from Family Matters), and Lukas Haas (most recently in the movie High Rollers).

Prior to the opening, local influencers and former Real Housewives posted Instagram videos of themselves excitedly unboxing their VIP party invites - boxes that contained horse shoes (signaling Dallas as the wild, wild West?) and bottles of booze.

The glamorous party, indeed, fused Dallas' glitzy patina with its wild, wild West spirit. The night included a welcome from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders alongside owners Brian Toll and John Terzian from The h.wood Group, performances by burlesque dancers, and a live show by rock star Machine Gun Kelly.

Food and beverages were in no short supply. Guests sampled and sipped from Delilah's indulgent menu. On offer were thick-cut slab bacon sliders, seafood and carving stations, Kendall Jenner-brownies, banana pudding, "famous" Spicy Siena cocktails, and more.

Scroll through the photo gallery, above, to see who was there.

Photo by Chase Hall Photography

Michael Omalley, Madison Sieli, Hannah Hohman, Maggie Holland, Payton Deuberry, Julia Wrobel

Notable attendees pictured: Michael Omalley, Madison Sieli, Hannah Hohman, Maggie Holland, Payton Deuberry, Julia Wrobel, Temple Shipley, Gracie Hunt, Kara Fronterhouse, Ally Fairris, Melissa Platt, Bina Palnitkar, Aneeta Gooma Sule, Stephanie Seay, Catalina Gonzalez Jorba, Jayme Langlet, Tama Tran, Lisa Sadoughi, Taylynn Michel Snyder, Madelaine Lam, Funmi Omotayo, Ese Grembowski, Cassandra Johnson, Alex Cohen, Eric Lev, Alexa Parker, Sammey Mihos, Brittany Ricketts, Chris Skyles, Rylie Bland, Caroline Goodson, Laura Ailshire, Caroline Harrison Loehr, Sue Krabill, Natalie Carroll Stewart, Kelly Weisz, Georgina Hartland, Dana Arnold, David Nash, Lisa Zabelle, Cary Deuber, Mark Deuber, Elisa Summers, Stephen Summers, Tessa Riley Patterson, Jessica Nowitzki, Amanda Dillard Schufeldt, Selwyn Rayzor, Jillian Turpin, Chris James Kahle, Austin Green, Kristin Dodson Smith, Lauren Pond, Brooke Thomas, Kimberly Harris, Kristyn Ampofo, Arisha Smith, Annika Cail, Amy Polishook, Kristie Ramirez, Meridith Casey, Megan Wood, Jennifer Kesterson Cifuentes, Kaleta Blaffer Johnson, Nathalie Barrera, Michael Miller, Lindsey Miller, Shayna Fontana Horowitz, Rand Horowitz, Porschla Kidd, Sharon Lee Clark, Melissa Pastora, Vodi Cook, Bina Patel, Jennifer Karol, Nancy Rogers, Jeny Bania, and many more.

galas celebrities parties society openings

Humans, Horses, Hope

Run for the Roses theme spurs Equest’s 45th anniversary Dallas gala

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Nancy Gopez, Lynn McBee, Steve Kemble, Maggie Cooke Kipp

While spring rainstorms swirled around Dallas-Fort Worth on a recent Saturday night, Gilley’s Dallas reined in one of the city’s most hot-to-trot crowds for Equest’s milestone 45th Anniversary Blue Ribbon Gala.

The sold-out April 25 event drew 600 supporters - outfitted in swingy sequin frocks and polished cowboy boots - to honor more than four decades of transforming lives through equine-assisted therapies and activities.

Chaired by Melinda and Mark Knowles, with Lynn McBee serving as honorary chair, the gala glittered a little more than usual - no surprise with event designer Steve Kemble overseeing a “Run for the Roses” theme. Guests stepped into a dramatic sea of red, with cascading roses, luxe linens, and a whimsical cowboy boot-shaped disco ball setting a glamorous Texas-meets-Kentucky Derby tone.

The evening began with cocktails and silent auction bidding before guests sat for a three-course dinner. After the Rev. Kenneth H. Brannon offered the invocation, mistress of ceremonies Calvert Collins-Bratton guided the program, which included a Color Guard presentation, moving client testimonials, and fundraising opportunities led by auctioneer Louis Murad.

One of the evening’s most poignant moments came when Equest co-founder Susan Schwartz and Adam Telessy of Fred Astaire Dance Studios performed a memorial dance tribute. Schwartz returned to honor Leslie and Hawkins Golden with the Founders Award.

Equest CEO Eric Lindh presented the 2026 Citation Award to Carol Huckin and gave the crowd of patrons and supporters a vision of the future of the organization.

Equest’s guiding message — “Humans. Horses. Hope.” — was woven throughout the night. The organization, founded in 1981, provides equine-facilitated therapies, counseling, and therapeutic horsemanship to children and adults with physical, cognitive, sensory, and learning disabilities, as well as veterans through its Hooves for Heroes program. In 2025 alone, Equest directly served 727 individuals and reached more than 1,500 others through outreach and education, they say.

After an evening celebrating Equest’s 45 years of impact, guests took to the dance floor to the sounds of Jordan Kahn's Manhattan Orchestra.

Among those in attendance were committee members, including: Underwriting co-chairs Nancy Carlson, Alison Malone, and Stacey Walker; auction co-chairs Maggie Cooke Kipp and Nancy Gopez; patron party chair Amy Turner; reservation chair Bonner Allen; and hundreds of VIPs and supporters including Chuck Steelman, Julie Moran, Daniel Valentine, Sarah Valentine, Denise Vrana, Tad Vrana, Anne Ray, Robert Ray, Fonda Arbetter, Shelly Hammer, Carol Huckin, Paige Locke, Chuck Locke, Lisa Laughlin, Peter Weeks, Kay Weeks, Ashling Besgen, Matthew Besgen, Blake Frye, Heather Wiese, Callie Wade, Amanda Gadison, Amy Green, Luis Araujo, Karla Noone, Andrew Noone, Kevin Ward, Meredith McKay, John Riveria, Nico Zevallos, Mackenzie Sork, William Avondet, Harley Cozewith, Blane Balch, and many more.

Photo by Tamytha Cameron

Nancy Gopez, Lynn McBee, Steve Kemble, Maggie Cooke Kipp

fundraisers charity equest equest blue ribbon ball galas