This coming summer, 150 teams from around the country will descend on Milwaukee for NAGAAAFest 2009, the Gay Softball World Series, staged by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Association. Organizers say the event is expected to have an $8 to $10 million tourism impact on the city, fueled by 3,000-plus attending players and fans. National NAGAA delegates were recently in town for event planning sessions, with an opening reception hosted in the Hyatt’s sky-high Polaris bar attended by local event sponsors and supporters.
Gerald Rappaport, Hyatt Regency GM, welcomed the crowd which included co-directors league Commissioner Brian Reinkober and Mona Garcia; Dan Nelson, a former commissioner; NAGAA hall-of-famer Tom Salzsieder; and once- Milwaukeean Ron Burbey, now in Fort Lauderdale. Sponsoring bars included Woody’s, represented by owner Kurt Woody and teammate Jeff Weigland; as well as Bill Wardlow and Peter Nys from the bar Fluid.
Circulating were philanthropist Joe Pabst and Cream City Foundation executive director Maria Cadenas. From PrideFest were PR director Kate Sherry and board members Lorry Dimoff and Paul Masterson, who is also director of the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center. The group then headed off to the Doubletree Hotel to indulge in a traditional Milwaukee Friday night fish fry.
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Practice is Perfect: The Milwaukee Art Museum executive chef Christopher Hatleli of Cafe Calatrava showcased the Valentine’s Day dinner that he and the staff, including Nick Burki and David Jones, plan to serve at the venerable James Beard House in Greenwich Village. Eighty lucky people clean-plated five courses with mouth-watering delicacies such as poached lobster on a sweet griddle corn cake, butternut squash soup with foie gras and elk medallions with Brussels sprouts and rhubarb, with a grand finale of an orgasmic Boca Negra love cake.
MAM development director Mary Louise Mussoline thanked the art/food fans and Chef Hatleli, in turn thanked his mentors Sandy D’Amato and wife, Angie. Among the appreciative diners were event planner David Caruso; financial advisor Elizabeth Elser; MAM trustee Christine Symchych; a dentist trio of Dr, Louis Boryc and sisters/doctors Mary and Bobbie Brown; Mike and Tanya Lueder; and Dr. Trevor Miller and Dr. Wyatt Jaffe, who have recently relocated to MKE from Chicago.
Birthday Beauties: Fashion writer Jordan DeChambre and photographer Jessica Kaminski celebrated their 31st and 30th birthdays respectfully, hosting friends at their Black & White Ball ‘09. Held in the InterContinental’s Zenden Lounge, the gala was inspired by a 1966 Truman Capote party at New York’s Plaza Hotel and the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Revelers donned black and white apparel and devoured delectably decadent black and white cupcakes and cookies from Harlequin Bakery. Capitalizing on her sense of style, DeChambre plans to launch a personalized shopping service.
The room overflowed with The Beautifuls: model and massage therapist Eva Beyer; model Jemme Hartwig with boyfriend David Larson; Sherry Bantug, model and marketing manager for Milwaukee Public Market, recently engaged to Eric Milia; former Calvin Klein model Younghawk Bautista, now a stylist at Beauty, arm-in-arm with Julia Newcomb; Valerie Vos, the Shepherd Express sales manager whose husband is Chris Vos, lead singer of Invade Rome; and an intriguingly masked Brian Janssen, Lake Hill House private chef and a Ford Agency model.
Also partying were Erika Gudgeon, owner of PUSH Functional Fitness; the ubiquitous Tony Chakonas, Symphony Style co-chair; James Valona of Desires Hotels, managers of the Iron Horse Hotel; musician Andy Noble, featured in the Super Noble Brothers, a documentary movie recently shown at the Oriental Theatre; and Carlos Lopez, manager of Design Within Reach, who stopped by the party after Gallery Night.
