Mar 30, 2008

Book lovers rock 'n' roll at library benefit

By Janet Duca Norton / Society Writer

Live Nation, operators of Shoreline Amphitheatre, and the city of Mountain View partnered to present the inaugural benefit for the Mountain View Library Foundation.

More than 200 supporters turned out for the "Rock 'n' Roll for Reading" dance party March 15, where the award-winning Joe Sharino Band headlined the main stage of the Shoreline Amphitheatre.

Event chair Pamela Martello said the benefit exceeded everyone's expectations: "The reaction was overwhelming, and the question from everyone was 'when can we do it again?' Live Nation really stepped up in making the event a success."

While the Joe Sharino Band provided rock 'n' roll for dancing, festive food was donated to the event by local restaurants.

The all-ages dance party capped a day of activities celebrating the grand reopening of the revitalized 10-year-old Mountain View Library, which was closed for a most of February for technological and automation upgrades. Raising almost $18,000, the event also was the kickoff to the Foundation's Endowment Fund.

Library Services Director Karen Burnett, who hosted the reopening of the library earlier in the day, called the event "truly groundbreaking for the library's future."

Seen dancing to tunes like Roy Orbison's "Dream" and Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" were guests Steve and Carol Olson; Foundation board members Susan Hamilton and Marilyn Ritter; committee members Janna Burchell, Tara Kendig, Debbie Villa, Christa Taylor and Mike Kasperzak. Kasperzak also performed auctioneer duties, auctioning off a VIP package prize to see the Police at Shoreline July 14.

Political types included Mountain View City Manager Kevin Duggan with his wife Robin; Council Member Matt Pear; City Attorney Michael Martello; Fire Chief Mike Young and his wife Lee Ann; Assembly Speaker Sally Lieber and her husband Dave Phillips; and San Mateo City Attorney Shawn Mason, his wife Jane and his 80-year-old father James Mason, who danced nearly every dance.

Event proceeds support library programs such as "Author! Author!" a series of writers discussing their books; Reading Day for children and their parents; a variety of children's programs; and funding for the mobile library.


Celebrating a Sensation

More than 300 guests turned out March 16 for a professionally produced fashion show, high tea and a designer trunk sale benefiting the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.

Most of the guests turned out at "Celebrating a Sensation: Marian Clayden High Tea, High Fashion" at the Rotunda at San Jose City Hall wearing couture creations by Marian Clayden. The event also served another purpose: to honor renowned Los Gatos fashion designer Marian Clayden as well as raise funds for the museum.

"Marian thought it was a wonderful event; it was a great day," Roger Clayden said on behalf of his wife.

Showcasing 30 years of wearable art, the fashion promenade featured a dozen models wearing ensembles from each decade of Clayden's remarkable career. Museum Executive Director Jane Przybysz described the designs as the depiction of the "spiritual enlightenment of the '60s and '70s that evolved to timeless elegance."

Celebrities who wear Clayden's evening wear include famous actresses Meryl Streep, Phylicia Rashad, Elizabeth Taylor and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The show not only received a standing ovation from the partygoers, but it also captured the attention of a lone male, who stood outside and viewed the entire show through the large glass window.

The hit of the show was the bridal sequence: Clayden's daughter Emma Clayden and her daughter-in-law Carrie Clayden modeled their own one-of-kind Victorian-styled cream silk embroidered wedding dresses designed by Marian. Granddaughter Abby Clayden appeared in a hand-dyed silk embroidered scarf over a period dress.

Leading the applause was Clayden's son Ben and event chairwoman Connie DeWitt. Peninsula residents Lona Beaumont Foss, Trilby Parker, Love Foss, Lynda Clark, Linda Bruce, Cora Wiegand, Kimber Sturm, Sandy Ferrando, Amalia Popell and Jeanne Fischer were seen shopping and enjoying the show.

Originally a painter, Clayden's first commission in 1968 was to provide textiles for costumes for the traveling production of the hit musical "Hair." Her textiles are found in museum collections including the Smithsonian, London's Victoria and Albert Museum, the deYoung Museumin San Francisco and the Costume Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The tea was the museum's final event celebrating the close of the exhibit "Marian Clayden: A Dyer's Hand," which ran from April 2007 to March 23, 2008.

The Claydens are planning to make a sizable donation of textiles and designs to a permanent collection at the museum. Roger said that a workshop at the back of the museum, where school children will be able to attend training sessions, is also in the planning stages.


Janet Duca Norton's society column appears every Sunday in the Daily News. Send event information to 255 Constitution Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025-1108, call 650-391-1338 or e-mail society@paloaltodailynews.com.