The St. Andrew's Society gathered at the Wisconsin Club for its 151st annual Robert Burns Anniversary Banquet to honor the Scottish bard. Led by Society President Jon Young and program hosts Circuit Judge Tom Cooper, Dave Berger, Tom Westgaard and other club officers, 215 revelers packed the ballroom for piping, dancing, fiddling, singing, recitations and general kilted cavorting.
The evening's high point was the traditional carving of the surprisingly tasty haggis, a pudding made from… well, even Boris & Doris didn't really want to know. Leading the assemblage in hoisting their glasses, society trustee Bob McWilliam toasted the lassies, while Clan Donald regional commissioner Peggy Ritz rejoined with a toast to the laddies.
In the assemblage were Tim Bowers; artist Harold Hanson, who designed the program cover; Ian Day, resplendent in his trews, along with his wife, Maureen; political guru Mackie Westbrook; nurses Kathy Vollmer and Don Scott; nurse Deb Scott and husband/cyclist Mike Scott; and military re-enactor Brynley Dolman. Harry Nunnemacher proudly sported the new Wisconsin tartan, while retired chemistry teacher and marathon skier Allan Stenmark was eyeing racing in his upcoming 31st Birkebeiner. Also on hand were Kristine Carrigg-Pluskota, director of the Irish Cultural & Heritage Center; Jason Hess and his fiancé, Megan Harper; plus curling enthusiast Annette Robertson and her daughter, Carol Alexander, who headed off for apres-party fun.
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Nutty House: A mob of art lovers packed the fifth annual Nut Factory open house and exhibition. Perusing several floors of artistically diverse displays were Bob and Yannique Purman of True North Productions; Catherine and James Donnelly from the Design Office; Lynn Lucius and Richard Taylor and their daughter, Whitney; jewelry designer/metalsmith Sarah Mann, there with her daughter, Stella, and Randall Clarke from the Scan Group. Artist Greg Klassen's 7-month-old son, Max, was a hit, showcasing his artistic skills on the floor of his dad's studio.
J Bird's space overflowed with eclectic art, from his Sprecher logos to his prized '93 Shepherd Express covers. Playing in the background was J Bird's band, Post Modern Jam, which included his brother, Micah Sterling. At Chris Poehlmann's lighting studio, the crowd included Tracey Carson and Bill Zaferos, who is starting his own PR consulting firm. His first client is Circuit Court Branch 15 judicial candidate Ron Dague. Circulating were Andrea Taxman; Naked Modern's Skip Forrest; Tracy Matthews; and Stacie and Jeff Hojnacki. Paul Jonas, planning an April 1 opening for his Tonic Tavern on South KK, dropped by with his girlfriend, Stephanie Berg from The OAR (Owner Assisted Remodeling) Group in Elm Grove. Also partying were Jonas' sister, Sarah, and her partner, Cameryne Roberts, owners of Café LuLu and the newer Juniper 61 in Wauwatosa. Spotted amid the ebb and flow were musician John Berger; artists Bridget Griffith Evans and Gene Evans, to be back in the Third Ward for a Gallery Night show above Starbucks. Julie Tarney has formed a new company called Qi-Nomics, an offshoot of feng shui, and is planning to move to Brooklyn, N.Y.
More Art: The talented Marquette High School Jazz Quartet served up some great riffs to background the 10th annual Haggerty Museum's Art Associates Board soiree (the former Martini Madness). Guests strolled the halls, enjoying the larger-than-life “stop.look.listen” exhibition of video works, featuring 14 international artists. Among the guests were Ethan Lasser, Chipstone Foundation curator, and his wife, attorney Jessica Lasser of the Legal Aid Society; and Kate and Rob Edwards, who drove up from Chicago to meet friends and see the show.
The party was hosted by board President Tricia Ognar, there with her husband, Tom; along with committee members Sarah Rock, George J. Gaspar, Michelle Speiser, Sheila Taphorn, Eliza Webb, Kristen Fischer, Margaret DeMichele, Anne Zak and Alverno professor Jodi Eastberg, who met her husband, Pabst Mansion senior historian John Eastberg, at the party 10 years ago. Haggerty Executive Director Wally Mason was pressed into service as the evening's official photographer and Lee Coppernoll, the associate director, also helped out.
Home Again: Bill Thorn, Steve Byers and Carole Burns of the Marquette University journalism department staff, along with Marquette students Vincent Thorn, Ashley Niedringhaus and Kellie Bramlet, are back from conducting a two-week backpack journalism workshop at St. Xavier's College in Ahmedabad, India. They passed through Mumbai at the height of the city's Slumdog movie mania.
Pax Dancing: This year's Ceili for Peace, held at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, benefited the Casa Maria Hospitality House. Getting the crowd out on the floor with its traditional Irish music was Ceol Cairde, led by Kristina Paris. Revelers included MGIC systems administrator Dennis Griffin, his wife, Ann, daughter Kimberly, and her boyfriend, Tim Mirkes, mother-in-law Shirley Moser, and sister-in-law Barb Froh, with her children, Jennifer and John. Among the plenteous Casa Marians were Neal Styka and Michael Komba.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the Feb. 26 issue of the Shepherd.
