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CATHERINE D. ANSPON SURVEYS A FABLED GREEN SCENE. PHOTOGRAPHY PRISCILLA DICKSON. IN THE PARK Hermann Park's Big, Beautiful Centennial Blowout AUGUST | PAGE 12 | 2014 Regal Romp A VERY Splendor in the Grass I t was an occasion edged in green — manicured grass, statuesque trees and impressive greenbacks, to be precise — when Hermann Park Conservancy cultivated a record-setting night at its fabled fund- raiser, Evening in the Park. More than 800 turned out for a fête that lived up to the monumentality of a night billed as "100 years in the making" — the centennial of one of Houston's most beloved natural spaces. Presiding were a triad of power couples: Mo and Ric Campo, Anne and Albert Chao, and Andrea and Bill White, joined by conservancy board chair Ann Kennedy (who led the crowd in a birthday toast) and executive director Doreen Stoller with husband Dan Piette. Along Came a Spider … T he alfresco soirée also showed off the park's beguiling monuments and highlighted its Art in the Park initiative and new Trenton Doyle Hancock cartoon-inflected mural lining the train tunnel, which delighted guests as they jumped on the railroad for an art tour. The choo- choo ride began near Louise Bourgeois' iconic bronze Spider, stopped at Sharon Engelstein's billowy biomorphic sculpture stationed on a hill and passed near a twiggy structure woven by Patrick Dougherty that functioned as a private little grotto. Cocktails led off at Lindsey Plaza, then august attendees strolled along Jones Reflection Pool, where Suchu Dance enacted summery rituals with ladies in white cavorting with big inflated orbs. The City Kitchen-catered seated dinner was served under a timeless tent overlooking McGovern Lake (a flotilla of paddle boats bore illuminated balloons like beacons during the dinner hour). A dessert station ringed Molly Ann Smith Plaza, while DJ Mav spun tunes near the Pioneer Memorial. The final flourish: A parade of bikes topped by big butterfly sculptures (performed by Austin Bike Zoo) and a spectacular light show choreographed by Nic Phillips concluded with fitting pomp and circumstance — and significant enchantment — the festivities commemorating the park's first 100 years. Social Promenade G reen-minded and glam: Centennial campaign chairs Phoebe Tudor and Sanford Criner with respective spouses Bobby and Susie; benefactress extraordinaire Kathrine McGovern of the McGovern Centennial Gardens; Cherie and Jim Flores, as in the Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion; Carol Barden and pals Vernon Walling and John Dazey; antiquarian Kay O'Toole; artist Christy Karll McWhorter and Hal McWhorter; MFAH director Gary Tinterow and Christopher Gardner; the Menil's Vance Muse, arriving on a bike; Art in the Park co-chair Judy Nyquist and curator Lea Weingarten; Smith Plaza progeny Jennifer Daly with husband Jon; Cynthia Petrello in our fave look, a green Oscar de la Renta summer frock with white lace and appliquéd blossoms, punctuating the sea of white; past chair quartet Heidi and Marcus Smith and Melissa and Michael Mithoff; and 2015 chair couples Allison and Troy Thacker and Linsay and Jeremy Radcliffe — how are they ever going to top this Evening in the Park? How do you plan to celebrate your 100th? CAROL BARDEN: Lunch at Da Marco's with my oldest and dearest friends, followed by an afternoon nap. JOOYOUNG CHOI: Spending a day [with beau Trenton Doyle Hancock] watching VHS tapes, painting, dancing and making toys and puppets. VANCE MUSE: I hope my 100th falls on Election Day and that I can celebrate the passage of a national equality-in-marriage act. JONATHON GLUS: A sit-down dinner for the 100 people I love most on my most beloved beach on Cape Cod. Randall Wright Pat Breen Crystal Wright Troy Thacker Valerie Cassel Oliver Jeremy Radcliffe Sharon Engelstein Aaron Parazette Page Kempner Vance Muse Linsay Radcliffe Christopher Gardner Co-chairman Bill White Co-chairman Andrea White Gary Tinterow Co-chairman Mo Campo Co-chairman Ric Campo Co-chairman Albert Chao Chris Goins Austin Drake Brooke Drake Fady Armanious Divya Brown Chris Brown Heidi Smith Marcus Smith Allison Thacker Illuminated night David Leebron Y. Ping Sun Chris Bradshaw Karen Rozzell Carolyn Pardue Scott Rozzell Kristy Bradshaw Bob Cavnar Gracie Cavnar Sanford Criner Susie Criner Melissa Mithoff Michael Mithoff Co-chairman Anne Chao Mise en scène Suchu Dance elevates the evening. Gina Bhatia Devinder Bhatia Doreen Stoller Dan Piette Bobby Tudor Phoebe Tudor Trenton Doyle Hancock