Celebrating in tandem with Chicago's popular Venetian Night, an annual parade of decorated boats along the lakefront, the Shedd Aquarium's Auxiliary Society took its Blu party outdoors on Saturday. In a first for the second-annual event, guests could perch on the museum's north terrace and lawn overlooking Lake Michigan.
"We really wanted guests to utilize the lawn," said Shedd assistant director of donor relations Elizabeth Tulipana, speaking of the planning committee that included co-chairs Michael Johns and Lisa Gates. "Getting a license to take drinks onto the lawn was a process, but it was very much appreciated by the guests." Also new to this year's event: a roving band of scuba suit-wearing entertainers from Collaboraction, a local theater company.
A benefit for the Great Lakes Conservation Awareness Initiative, Blu aims to raise public awareness of the Great Lakes and to take action to preserve and protect them. "The theme of the event is carried out by promoting sustainable seafood that is served at the party, as well as sending guests home with tools to help them become green," said Tulipana. "The majority of the party is outside or overlooking Lake Michigan, keeping Great Lakes conservation top-of-mind for partygoers."
The event's cocktail reception centered around the Shedd's circular Caribbean Reef exhibit, where a diver fed stingrays, sea turtles, and tarpon as guests looked on. Other exhibits were kept dark in consideration of animals' schedules, giving the room a dim, intimate feel. "We work with our collections departments to ensure that our guests get to experience our exhibits at the event while also respecting the animals' schedules and safety," said Tulipana.
Food stations and bars could be found throughout the reception area, including displays set up by Ristorante We (salmon tartare with basil, lemon, and red chiles) and Wave (spiced beef tenderloin carpaccio with watermelon, feta cheese, and watercress salad) from the Cornerstone Restaurant Group. Highboy tables outfitted in navy and sky-blue silk offered guests a place to perch, and an improv performance by comedy troupe the Second City also provided entertainment during the reception.
As the sun set, the more than 700 guests headed downstairs to the terrace. Near the doors, Ketel One vodka set up a martini luge bar where bartenders stood on step stools to pour guests' cocktails down ice sculptures and into glasses. In this area, the Melting Pot also offered a fondue bar replete with fruit, cookies, and marshmallows. Once outside, a tent adorned with white lights needlessly covered the terrace in the event of rain. The lawn, which had its own bar, offered unobstructed views of the boats and fireworks in a crowd-free environment—a feat that most everyone appreciated, as more than 675,000 spectators lined the lake and its beaches for a glimpse of the same show. (Venetian Night comes in at No. 4 in our Top Festivals of 2008.)
After all the hoopla, guests found their way back into the Caribbean Reef exhibit for dessert and dancing until around midnight.
