BY JUDY CARMACK BROSS
Glamping tents, pith-helmeted guides, and the magic of lantern light—not to mention the wild beasts all around—simulated the adventure of an African safari for the 850 guests at the Lincoln Park Zoo’s Mane Event. The 40th Annual Zoo Ball, sponsored by the institution’s Women’s Board, raised more than 1.4 million for the zoo’s new Visitor’s Center.
Glamping tents, south landscape at night. Photo by Alain Milotti.
Musicians performing as guests enter the zoo. Photo by Alain Milotti.
Biff Bowman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Mary Pearlman, 2017 Zoo Ball Co-chair; Caroline Huebner, President of the Women’s Board; Shawn Sandor, 2017 Zoo Ball Co-chair; and Kevin Bell, LPZ President and CEO. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
Capturing the vastness of the savannas of Africa in the middle of Chicago was easy for the terrific team of co-chairs Mary Pearlman and Shawn Sandor, and Women’s Board Chair, Caroline Huebner. Also greeting guests were Lincoln Park Zoo President and CEO, Kevin Bell; Board Chair, Biff Bowman; and Board Corporate Chair, Elizabeth Karlson. Other guests included Mamie and Greg Case, Keith and Barb Mallot Kizziah, Rick Kogan, and Mayari Pritzker.
Mayari Pritzker, Board of Trustees, and Dave Moore. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
Shawn Sandor told us that someone felt very much at home: “I loved the sight of the Zoo’s lion Sahar majestically taking in the night’s festivities.”
The lions of Lincoln Park Zoo.
Mary Perlman, whose three children volunteered to sell raffle tickets that night, added, “It was great seeing hundreds of guests dancing the night away to the music of the Ken Arlen Evolution Orchestra and enjoying the Lincoln Park Zoo, a gem of Chicago, on a beautiful summer night.”
The fabulous food created by Jewell Catering Events included zulu fire grilled prawns served at tables bearing papyrus and rustic accessories to toast the Safari theme.
Table settings with a safari feel. Photo by Alain Milotti.
A giraffe lavosh accents a salad. Photo by Alain Milotti.
Caroline Huebner, presiding over the Women’s Board as it celebrated 40 years of the summer’s most beloved outdoor event, enthused, “I am in awe of the incredible work of our Women’s Board to create such a special evening to benefit our beloved Lincoln Park Zoo!”
Caroline Huebner, Mary Pearlman, and Shawn Sandor on stage.
Presenting sponsor of the evening was PowerShares QQQ by Invesco and premiere patrons were Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and BMO Harris Bank.
Rita Lashmet, Women’s Board member, and Craig Lashmet. Photo by Larry of John Reilly Photography.
Katie Gledhill, Board of Trustees and Women’s Board Member, and Brent Gledhill. Photo by Robert Carl.
Krista Coan and Allyson Pooley, Women’s Board members and Zoo Ball 2018 Co-chairs. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
Debbie Kruse and Meg Gilbert. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
The silent auction. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
Sarah Beardsley, Women’s Board Member; Deb Gross; and Karyn Pettigrew. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
Andy and Marty Shaw, Women’s Board Member. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
Bob and Anna Livingston, Board of Trustees. Photo by Larry of John Reilly Photography.
Shawn Sandor and Mary Pearlman, Zoo Ball 2017 Co-chairs. Photo by Robert Carl.
Mitch Williams; Tracy Benford, Board of Trustees; and Mark Williams. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
Kevin Bell, Lincoln Park Zoo President and CEO; and Caroline Huebner, Women’s Board President. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
Susan Schoenberger; Sean Cusack; and Mareilé Cusack, Board of Trustees. Photo by Violet Dominek, John Reilly Photography.
Jennifer McAdams and Bruce Lunsford. Photo by Larry of John Reilly Photography.
Melissa Widen and John Ettelson. Photo by Robert Carl.
