This past month has been awash of events. Three primarily… A gala for my wife’s office, an Indiana Landmarks soiree, and last night was an event celebrating the opening of the new Nature Conservancy office here in Indianapolis.
The gala is a yearly thing – Black tie optional. This was not only our first time there, but it was also celebrating 100 years of operation. It took place in the Hyatt in downtown Indy, in the very same room that hosted my senior prom. It was a weird experience, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect. One of the more memorable parts was a video tribute by other dignitaries and such because of the 100 year milestone. There was Evan Bayh (Senator), Dick Lugar (Senator), Mitch Daniels (Governor), a few others, but it was capped off with an obviously cue card tribute by Miss GoDaddy Danica Patrick. That threw me for a loop.
The Indiana Landmarks event was a little casual reception with cocktails and such. This is an organization my wife and support with our appreciation for architecture and historic preservation. It was the smallest of the three events, and it was nice being able to meet most of the people in attendance and have a more personal experience. We also got a tour of an amazing residence built in the early 1930′s that’s been very nicely restored recently.
The Nature Conservancy event was a big time fund raising event with probably over a hundred 8-top tables. The dress code was formal top, and jeans. The event was to celebrate the opening of their new Indiana headquarters in a LEED Platinum certified building. We were excited to be able to check out an LEED building up close, and it got better when we ran into friends that gave us a quick personal tour because one of them played a part in its design. Very cool building. The rest of the event was so-so. Good featured speaker, but the video testimonial featured 5-6 including the same governor, and the same cue-card reading Danica Patrick.
Maybe every time I put on a bow tie, I get the honor of seeing a Danica Patrick video tribute.