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ASFB gala

Mary Eshbaugh Hayes
Toasting the new endowment fund for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet are, left to right, Tony DeLucia, president of the board; Tom Mossbrucker, artistic director; Sherry Wachs, Carolyn Powers and Kelley Purnell, who each pledged a million dollars to the fund; Bebe Schweppe, founder of Aspen Ballet; and Jean-Philippe Malaty, executive director. (MEH)
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What an exciting and busy summer for Aspen Santa Fe Ballet!An endowment fund was created when Aspenites Sherry and Eddie Wachs, Carolyn and Bill Powers and Kelley and Mark Purnell pledged a million dollars each. Executive Director Jean-Philippe Malaty said, “We always had a nervousness about the future. But now in our 10th year, we know we can continue to contribute to the cultural diversity of Aspen.” Then the annual summer gala was held at the Hotel Jerome with the theme Twistin’ the Night Away,” and everyone had a great time dining and dancing to ’50s music. Many partygoers again took up that craze of the hula hoop and were thrilled that they remembered how. The summer season continued with performances by guest dance companies and the Aspen company (who were then off to Santa Fe for performances there). Ted Bell, a writer who spends time in Aspen, has just published a new adventure story featuring his fictional hero, Alex Hawke, in a novel titled “Spy.” The book is in bookstores or online at http://www.tedbellbooks.com.

Spellbinders, a valley nonprofit that features people telling stories to children and stimulating an interest in reading, held a summer party in late August at the Owl Creek Ranch home of Lois and Tom Sando to honor donors and a successful year. Germaine and Al Dietsch founded and manage the organization. Jeanne and Andrew Doremus and sons are spending a year in Switzerland, where the boys will go to school.There were so many summer events that I will feature them in weeks to come. Undercurrent … Aspenites are raving about all the mushrooms they have found this summer.