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Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2009 > July > 12 > Entry

White Party at Green Pastures

We can say this definitively: The White Party is a gilded champion among Austin charity affairs.

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Jeff Chen, Mardy Chen

Let’s start with the setting: Green Pastures’ dignified white farmhouse sprouting Great Gatsby tents like mushrooms on its emerald, oak-shaded lawns.

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PJ Rabice, Tiffany Craven

Then there’s the crowd, mostly young professionals who uphold Leap, a support group for the Lifeworks charity.

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Jennifer Villarreal, Andrew Haynes

Oh my. Is this a comely crowd? All dressed in flattering white. (And variations.)

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Garrett Mize, Christina Sheets

All evening, they drifted from open tents — with their simple, gorgeous white flower arrangements — to refreshment stations and the scattered white couches inside and out.

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Sonja McDonnell, Susie Santana

The dance floor beckoned with a flashing light screen and expert DJ, as well as tireless go-go dancers. (It must be admitted that the guests took forever to mount this perhaps too intimidating stage. Hosts should have motivated the moves through demonstration. And maybe swept the dance floor with big fans.)

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Anna Woods, Peter Bond

The appetizers from Green Pastures’ kitchen were perfection: Actual finger food that packed powerful little bursts of flavor without forcing ungraceful stand-up dining. (Exception: A hummus spread that came with two tiny strands of chips.)

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Kelley Davis, Hanh Tran

The Grey Goose signature drinks cooled. As did smart cocktails like icy wine spritzers.

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Lisa Magids, Todd O’Neill

The service and hospitality were impeccable. No other party comes close.

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Matt Abbott, Patrick Clark, Lauren Clark

The tents, underwritten by folks like Kendra Scott and Nav Sooch, included bottle service, which meant each retreat blossomed into a mini-party with porous borders.

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Billy Andrews, Jessica Hellums

The mood remained mellow until the dancing really fired up.

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Brent Zaal, Alyson Maxey

I talked with Suzanne Kennedy about her new screenplay and Austin Adams (and his friends) about local, state and national politics.

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Jehmu Greene, Andrea Elliott, Morgan Flager

I spent the longest time with Bennett Ford — husband of Tribeza editor Lauren Ford — about a thousand substantive topics.

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Nav Sooch, Whitney Casey,

(Critics of this column often assume the chatter at these parties is exceedingly shallow. Not so. Or not always so.)

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Lee Anthony, Xitlalt Herrera Salazar, Eliseo Rios

Skipping the after-party at The Belmont, I stayed from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — probably the longest I’ve spent at a party all year.

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Amber Follis, Lee Walker, Katie Jackson

I hope Leap and Lifeworks makes money on this endeavor. I never want it to go away.

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Paxton Knight, Cherly Mills

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