(From L to R) Stephanie Parisi, Jennifer Young, and Susan Henschen.
We ate. We drank. We danced. We posed. We drew. We answered. We gambled (sorta). We were merry!
The 2015 LITS Holiday Party was a box office smash, breaking attendance records from previous events. Well over half of LITS enjoyed the festivities in the Goizueta ballroom, shattering the old record at a near Star Wars-esque pace (evidently the Force was with them too, according to overnight numbers.)
Mark Parten (L) and John Fries (R) look on while Thea Diaz (center) “rolls the bones.”
The party was jam-packed with exciting features such as a rousing movie trivia game, flash mob dancing, a live DJ, casino gaming, an “It’s in the Cards” art booth, and a paparazzi photo shoot on a red-carpeted runway.
The food was provided by Nicole’s Events and included antipasto skewers, roasted vegetable tarts, spicy corn cakes, tangy meatballs, sesame chicken skewers, veggie and bbq pork empanadas, and an array of desserts.
Jennifer Elder (L) and Kristan Majors (R) enjoy the party.
Hosted expertly by Tony Shiver, the movie trivia game was a hit. Who knew that the Bodyguard had such huge soundtrack sales? Evidently the team named “Thelma and Louises” did, because they took home first place. The stars of that cast included Erika Buchholz, Sebreanna Echols, Teresa Fleetwood, Debbie Gray, Sandra Harrison, Carol Hirthler, LaKysha Mack, Linda Nodine, and Linda Richardson.
The LITS Line Dancing class made a guest appearance, performing a flash mob dance from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Special thanks also goes out to the production’s Art Director, Julie Newton, who reprised her role as Card Catalog Queen with her “It’s in the Cards” interactive exhibit.
Rich Mendola spoke of observing the past, present, and future.
The most riveting cameo performance came from Rich Mendola, whose Dickensonian speech asked revelers to think to the past, present, and future of LITS and drew resounding applause from the audience.
No ending credits would be complete without thanking the party planning committee who spent a lot of time wondering how to make the most folks happy within budget and who stayed very late to clean up the mess. Those folks were Dawn Francis-Chewning, Wade Moricle, Stephanie Parisi, Lisa Travis, Bev Turner, and Jennifer Young.
(L to R behind the dancer in the tux) Jocelyn Ramirez, Circe Tsui, and Susan Henschen enjoy a little salsa.
As the evening drew neigh and the lights turned low,
JJ the DJ put his speakers in tow.
He sprang to his cart and gave out a yell,
“Did I grab everything? I never can tell!”
And we heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight,
“Happy holidays you guys, and have a good night!”