For at least one night, the 80's were back as big hair, leg warmers, Wham and lace granny boots prevailed at Cafe Iguana Pines at the eighth annual client appreciation party and fund-raiser for event and hospitality industry professionals.
As guests walked through a tunnel of draped fabric toward the club's reception area, the sounds of Culture Club and other '80s bands filled the air. Supplied by MSE Events, entertainers and a Boy George impersonator greeted guests as they found their way into the club. The all-star 80's bash, planned by Diane Caputi of Cafe Iguana, Mike Sipes and Michelle Fahrenbruch of MSE Events and David Kiernan of Pure Energy Entertainment, was a fun way to unite event industry players and raise money for Kids in Distress, a charity that helps abused children.
At first glance, Café Iguana is a small, dimly lit wooden space. Small flurries of snow intermittently fell above the ice-topped bar, which was lined with people. A lone table of food showcased the venue's in-house catering. In a room just beyond the food, a photographer from Spurlin Photography photographed guests sitting in a 10-foot-tall inflatable chair while holding oversized bottles, rattles and beer bottles, supplied by MSE Events.
Singer lookalikes including Madonna, Michael Jackson and George Michael lip-synched songs and danced with guests. Casino games, a tattoo artist and a paint-a-T-shirt booth provided alternative entertainment. But the fun really began 7:45 PM, when another half of the club—which had been closed off to guests—opened to reveal a huge space sectioned off into a multiethnic feast created by Cafe Iguana's in-house catering department. The sections included Little Italy, where a variety of hot and cold Italian dishes were served; Chinatown, which offered hot Chinese dishes (and although it is Japanese, an assortment of sushi); a candy station, which had little green shopping bags to fill with the contents of jars upon jars of pick-your-own candy; and finally, a separate room for desserts, complete with a chocolate fountain. Platforms, colored spotlights and a V.I.P. room-turned-stage housed live bands, dancers and more leg warmers throughout the evening.
—Shari Lynn Rothstein
As guests walked through a tunnel of draped fabric toward the club's reception area, the sounds of Culture Club and other '80s bands filled the air. Supplied by MSE Events, entertainers and a Boy George impersonator greeted guests as they found their way into the club. The all-star 80's bash, planned by Diane Caputi of Cafe Iguana, Mike Sipes and Michelle Fahrenbruch of MSE Events and David Kiernan of Pure Energy Entertainment, was a fun way to unite event industry players and raise money for Kids in Distress, a charity that helps abused children.
At first glance, Café Iguana is a small, dimly lit wooden space. Small flurries of snow intermittently fell above the ice-topped bar, which was lined with people. A lone table of food showcased the venue's in-house catering. In a room just beyond the food, a photographer from Spurlin Photography photographed guests sitting in a 10-foot-tall inflatable chair while holding oversized bottles, rattles and beer bottles, supplied by MSE Events.
Singer lookalikes including Madonna, Michael Jackson and George Michael lip-synched songs and danced with guests. Casino games, a tattoo artist and a paint-a-T-shirt booth provided alternative entertainment. But the fun really began 7:45 PM, when another half of the club—which had been closed off to guests—opened to reveal a huge space sectioned off into a multiethnic feast created by Cafe Iguana's in-house catering department. The sections included Little Italy, where a variety of hot and cold Italian dishes were served; Chinatown, which offered hot Chinese dishes (and although it is Japanese, an assortment of sushi); a candy station, which had little green shopping bags to fill with the contents of jars upon jars of pick-your-own candy; and finally, a separate room for desserts, complete with a chocolate fountain. Platforms, colored spotlights and a V.I.P. room-turned-stage housed live bands, dancers and more leg warmers throughout the evening.
—Shari Lynn Rothstein