The Fête Society: December starts off just right: Week 1 Recaps

Go directly to the December 2008 Events Calendar.

Wednesday December 3, The Fête Society kicked off the Holiday Party Season at the United Way GenNext Holiday Party at the new and very nice Big Brothers Big Sisters Headquarters at the corner of Olive and Grand... The event and people were very nice…and the food was delicious. Can you think of a better way to spend $20 (or $15 if you reserved in advance) that lets you have a great time, free beer, wine, and soda, and delicious num-nums AND you’re serving a great cause – The United Way. I especially like how the Steering Committee facilitated networking among the attendees. Our pre-printed name tags also included the name of a United Way Agency. People were encouraged to meet and greet and locate a Steering Committee Member whose Agency name matched the one on your name tag. No doubt, we met a lot of interesting and caring people that spend their free time serving others in our community. Plus I learned about some amazing organizations – such as the George Washington Carver Center. It is youth center near the Grand Arts District.

There are plenty of other Holiday Benefit Parties this month, but if you want a more direct way of helping, then check out GenNext’s Holiday Volunteer Guide.

More photos from the Holiday Party are here. Oh, I cannot forget to thank (BIG TIME), Mr. D. Gonzalez for saving my camera. Yes, I left it behind at the party. I must have had a good time. Thanks again or I would lost all of the memories.

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Friday, December 5, we capped the week off nicely. The Habitat for Humanity Holiday Party held at the headquarters building on Forest Park Ave was splendid. The upstairs space not only has individual classrooms, but the main hall as converted into this beautiful space…and they make it available for functions. I highly recommend the space. This even was free- free tasty food and drinks and candy. This celebration was a celebration of Habitat for Humanity’s best resource – people who volunteer; and I highly recommend HFH for a fun worthwhile community service event. HFH doesn’t just help people own their own home affordably, they build communities. In fact, we bumped into Alderman Marlene Davis of Ward 19. She is helping to re-build communities within her district with HFH help; there is a new construction project that begins (or continues) in the spring.

If you are interested in volunteering with HFH you could volunteer at a construction site OR assist staff at the ReStore. They always appreciate the assistance.

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Finally the night (December 5) capped off at Stress Free Fridays as they introduced us all to a new elegant venue – Thaxton Speakeasy – of 1009 Olive Street. It is everything the name implies. Art Deco, Back-alley entrance, a gangster at the door to check your credentials, and a well-stocked bar. It is a downstairs lounge – very 1920’s. I like. As I clear the stairs and enter this room with amber lighting, I greeted by SFF co-creator, MA Jones who informs me that he saw me in the St. Louis American that day. Wha.What? He was right. I found the online link to the article, but I still haven’t seen it in print.

But I digress…If you’re looking for new place to hang-suite then Thaxton Speakeasy is the place. The space is truly lovely and elegant. The owners are working on the upstairs space now and I cannot wait until it is unveiled. But it isn’t just the décor that makes it so nice, it was the whole vibe. The place wasn’t crowded; the people were nice and friendly. Did I mention the music? The DJs were on point. Oh Boy. Okay, I’m biased. I’m a fan of 80’s music so when they played Prince, by Evelyn “Champagne” Jones, and “Give Me the Night” by George Benson, followed by a nice mix of House Music I knew I was in Dance Floor Heaven.