The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Butterfly Ball drew 620 guests on Friday night, and though attendees wore flowing, springy gowns and spiffy tuxes, a small bird with vivid blue feathers drew the most compliments. "He's fabulous," said one guest of the exotic creature, which a staffer in the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven identified as a red-legged honeycreeper.
The butterfly haven was one of seven stations labeled on colorful museum maps that all attendees got at check-in. Guests who stopped at at least two stations could enter a drawing to win two United Airlines tickets.
Another area partygoers were encouraged to stop by was a new, self-curated exhibit called "Bikes! The Green Revolution." With vintage bicycles and a virtual pedicab experience that wends through local neighborhoods, the exhibition inspired the tone of the entire evening.
"Each year the ball has a different theme, inspired by a nature museum exhibition, that ... connects [guests] to nature and science," said Marc Miller, the museum's vice president of external affairs. "The 'Tour de Nature' theme this year is in conjunction with the exhibition 'Bikes! The Green Revolution."
Event Creative's design took the theme into account, and chandeliers made out of bicycle wheels complemented the black-and-white decor in the dinner tent. Entertainment also stayed in character: Performers riding unicycles welcomed guests at the entrance, and during the dinner program, senior curator of urban ecology Steve Sullivan rode into the tent on a bike to share some animal-related fun facts.
The speaking program took place before Calihan's three-course dinner was served, and it included a paddle raise. Within minutes, five guests had pledged $10,000 apiece toward the museum's educational programs. The event also saw a good share of corporate support, with presenting sponsors Allstate, Aon, Sun-Times Foundation, ITW, Motorola Solutions, and Nielsen among the table hosts. In all, the evening raised $1.6 million.
