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May 22, 2007
A Spring Visit to Mar's Garden
I swung by Westport the other day, and while I was there, I made sure I paid a visit to Mar Jennings' home to see what he had growing.
Mar doesn't have a huge estate -- it's about the size of four or five regulation badminton courts -- but it's amazing to see all of the visual interest that he packs into his tidy yard. He's coming out with a book soon -- Life on Mar's -- that will describe how he converted what used to be rather humdrum house and yard into a showpiece. It'll be published later this summer, he said. The book, which will feature his own lavish photography, will also have a few recipies and tips on entertaining friends, a skill that he has raised to an art form.
In the meantime, be sure to check out his Web site, www.marjennings.com. It's loaded with decorating tips, garden ideas and recipes.
Here, Mar takes us on a tour of his yard:
One of these days, I'm going to ask him where he hides the compost heap.
Posted by john on 9:30 PM | Comments (2)
May 17, 2007
Greenwich Polo Season, 2007
OK, polo fans, you've waited all year for this. Now, it's finally going to happen.
The 2007 spring/summer season of the Greenwich Polo Club is about to begin, with the first match set to start on Sunday, June 3, at 3 p.m.
This is the real deal, my friends. The top polo players and the best horses in the world will be right here in little Connecticut. And you can see it for only $25 per carload.
This is 20-goal polo or better, and it doesn't get much better than that. (That means that, in a typical "20-goal polo" match, the final score will be something like 9-11.)
Like I said -- a cheaper date than the Bluefish, and a lot more fun, too.
Chatterbox caught up with club spokeswoman Alison Kelly, who spoke to us from the middle of a tornado:
Actually, we were on the lee side of the clubhouse.
Alison is a pretty decent polo player herself, having played on the Yale team in her college days. She said that April's torrents have done wonders for the field, which is already regarded as one of the best polo fields in the U.S.
So, visit Greenwich Polo for the whole story (the Web site is much improved this year).
Here's the spring/summer schedule; I'll talk about the fall season in a couple months.
June 3: Thomas B. Glynn Memorial Cup
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
June 10: Thomas B. Glynn Memorial Cup
Rolls Royce Atlantic Region Owners Association
June 17: Thomas B. Glynn Memorial Cup
June 24: East Coast Open
July 1: East Coast Open
Independence Day Celebration
Cornell Club of Fairfield Country Alumni Event
Columbia University Club Alumni Event
July 8: Asprey Summer Season Cup Match; Asprey Ladies Cup
July 15: East Coast Open; Barbados Challenge Trophy
One more thing -- the polo field is huge, about the size of nine football fields (10 including the sidelines). That works out to about 10 acres. It's the largest playing field in sport. To put that in terms that most people can understand: You could fit 491 regulation badminton courts on a single polo field.
Plus, the GPC has two polo fields situated end-to-end; the effect is truly jaw-dropping when you visit for the first time.
So, hope to see you there!
Posted by john on 9:40 PM | Comments (1)
Rose of Hope Luncheon
The chairwomen of the annual Rose of Hope luncheon promised me that the special guest, Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning actress Mariska Hargitay, best known for her role as Detective Olivia Benson on the NBC crime drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, won't make any arrests or anything like that when she appears at the event.
Hmmm...I'm still just a bit concerned, though -- I've heard strange stories (all unconfirmed) about Jack Lord going off the deep end with his Steve McGarrett Hawaii Five-O character. So, to be on the safe side, don't arrive on the scene with anything that might be considered "drug paraphernalia" like bobby pins, aluminum foil, etc.
The event benefits the Norma F. Pfriem Breast Care Center in Fairfield. It's planned for June 15, 2007, and it's taking place at the home of Tom & Patti Keegan. They have about the biggest yard I've seen in these parts -- a par four at least with room enough left over for a regulation badminton court and a couple football fields. To request an invitation, call the NFPBCC at (203) 255-5300.
Here are the chairwomen, Lynn Taikowski, on the left, and Donna Craft, talking about the event:
Posted by john on 9:18 PM | Comments (0)
May 9, 2007
Eagle Hill's Cinco de Mayo
Sometimes -- and this doesn't happen as often as we would like -- the party seems to go together perfectly.
With a house party you have a huge advantage in that you can invite just the right mix of guests (and I mean "mix" -- it's never a good idea to invite people just like yourself.) With a fundraiser, you don't have that option. Whoever forks over the $200 or so for a ticket gets in the door.
Despite this handicap, everything seemed to click last Saturday (5/5/07) when Eagle Hill School of Southport staged its Cinco de Mayo fundraiser. The food was out of this world, everyone was in a good mood and there were a pair of sexy Latin dancers providing the entertainment -- Amanda Parton and Enrique Alarcon.
Plus, there were a couple industrial-grade blenders churning out buckets of frozen margaritas. The event raised a pile of dough for the school, in part because -- as events of this nature go -- it wasn't terrifically expensive to stage.
Here are some pics from the event:
Amanda Parton and Enrique Alarcon, the stars of the show. They even made an honest attempt to teach the Southport crowd how to dance Latin-style. Not an easy assignment.
School staffers Dave (left) and Steve Sylvestro lead the auction.
Here are Amanda Parton and Enrique Alarcon mingling with Yvonne Dobbelmann, Joyce Reid (who likes to remind me that she staged the first-ever EHS gala a few years back) and Doug Fedorko.
Teachers Barbara Robbins, Sara McConnell and Rachel Stabers
Lauren Hull and Candace Perry
Miggs Burroughs and Liz Beeby
Cindi Holden and Amanda Amato
Jack and Sally (right) Ijams with Jill Hansen
Meredith Dunne and Regina Flaherty
Posted by john on 8:11 AM | Comments (68)
May 8, 2007
Discovery in the Garden 2007
Supporters of the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport are putting together the 2007 edition of the Discovery in the Garden tour event, which will visit five private gardens in Southport and Greenfield Hill.
The tour, now in its 10th year, will take place on Friday, June 1. Tickets are $40 in advance (visit the museum or call 203-372-3521), or $45 on the day of -- in which case you'll have to get the ticket at the Trinity Church in Southport, 651 Pequot Avenue (the white church, not the stone one).
There's also a luncheon from 11:30 to 2, as well as a garden boutique, also at Trinity, under a tent.
Here, Julie Low and Phoebe Kaylor discuss this year's event:
Posted by john on 9:50 AM | Comments (0)
