Pride, Benefit and an Art Auction

Is everybody happily exhausted from Pride? I haven’t read any numbers yet, but it certainly seemed that everyone had a gay old time. I joined dozens of friends and neighbors up the street at Jim and Sean’s house for drinks and always fabulous nibblies that Jim is famous for. Dessert was ice cream and a cookie – so welcome in the early summer heat.

I met Sharon Gerber Scherer the following day at our duly appointed rendezvous, the Lobster House, on the Malecon for our third straight (ha, ha) Gay Pride Parade. We shared delicious French toast and spent nearly two hours of yelling, screaming, bead-tossing, dancing people, having a blast.

It was fitting that the first benefit for Mercurio Hotel staff took place at La Catrina Cantina, which began in the middle of a crisis to help local entertainers during the pandemic. I was so pleased to see Paul Crist there; he has to believe how much he is loved by our community and we will help him pay his staff. Make donations directly to Casa Jojo Foundation. Thanks to Juan Alvarado and Bill Williams, owners of La CC, for spearheading this benefit and transparently using their registered charity to collect and distribute funds.

Thompson Hotels—now in Vallarta in what was Krystal Resorts—sponsored a muy fancy, red-carpeted outdoor art auction to benefit Arte Vallarta Museo. Director Nathalie Herling was there, of course, with coordinators Hector Belloc and Selena Luna. Vallarta luminaries spotted with paddles included Steven Retchless, Angela and Art Curley, Colette Zarry, Lencho and Nancy Chapman, and Louise Mann.

Has anyone else noticed a decided lean toward elegance in Vallarta, say, in the past year? While I love that we are a beach resort and the laid-back vibe that enfolds, I do believe we are ready for occasional tailored shorts and handwoven, colorful deck shoes and yes, shirts with buttons and no writing. Until tomorrow, have a gorgeous day Vallarta