Just look at it out there! What springs to mind? Spring fever? No! Bubbles! The one bright April event we can count on to raise our spirits is the oh-so-bubbly Bubble Ball! ChildServe, a nonprofit organization that supports children with special needs and their families, hosted its third annual Bubble Ball April 6 at Capital Square downtown. Showcasing the talents of local designers in a bubblicious way, the gala is a fun and innovative event unlike anything else in our community.
Cocktails (Cupcake wine is so great!) and dinner were a prelude to the circus-themed main event: a runway show and gallery of designs and sculptures– all of which utilized bubble wrap as their core element. Little-known fact: Bubble wrap is not just for UPS and FedEx. An even lesser-known fact: Bubble wrap can be used to design avant-garde, elaborate costume projects that we would never dream of making ourselves. So many amazing creations! My favorite was the oh-so-tiny Tina Dahl as a fantastical oversized Monarch butterfly. I think she really could have taken flight.
Bubble Ball has come a long way from its inaugural event—it just keeps getting better. Everyone loves to participate, and the costumes get more and more creative. I love to dress up to the point of obsession as much as the next person, and I had a hard time topping last year’s Lady GaGa costume. (I couldn’t wear it twice—there’s no fame in that!) I’m a living rebuke to the tactics of moderation, so I glued about 200 pink balloons to a bubble-wrapped dress and hoped for no dart throwers. (It wasn’t what you’d call a “slimming look”—more like “Peptobimbo” maybe.) As you might imagine, I blended in virtually unnoticed, like buffalo in a submarine. For those rare(ish) occasions you might need a bubble dress, I have two you can choose from—plus you don’t have to hold your stomach in, so there’s that.
My Mom, Catherine Allen, came as my date, and we made her a bubble cape she was very proud of. We had the pleasure of sitting at Jim and Ann Willer’s table for a great view of the runway. The popping of bubble wrap was heard throughout the night, along with the hip sounds of Brazilian 2Wins, the charismatic twins Walter and Wagner Caldas from Rio de Janiero. Their dynamic party band sound energized the audience and the models the entire evening.
Co-chairs and emcee ring masters Rebecca and Pete Cartwright, honorary co-chairs Jim Willer and Soozie McBroom, and the fabulous Bubble Ball committee of creative, hard-working volunteers came up with the circus-themed evening. It was more fun than ever and so colorful it could make a rainbow blush! Check out the fun photos below:
