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  1. Venues & Destinations
  2. United States
  3. Chicago

Hallowed Hall

Mayor Richard Daley and Maggie Daley's Halloween Ball, the Cultural Center's largest annual fund-raiser, showcased the building's event capabilities amid blood-and-gore.

Jenny Berg
October 28, 2008

On Friday night, giant chickens handed out Mardi Gras beads on the steps of the Chicago Cultural Center while witches flanked the doors, ready to welcome some 500 guests to Mayor Richard Daley and Maggie Daley's Halloween Ball. The majority of those guests opted for costumes instead of black-tie attire, and several mock Sarah Palins, and one pumpkin vest (the mayor's) peppered the crowd.

The ball's purpose was two-fold: "The Cultural Center offers free programming such as concerts and activities for children," said event manager Kim Snoddy. "The gala raises funds for those programs, but it also lets people see a lot of rooms and halls throughout the Cultural Center, giving guests a chance to see what they could do if they wanted to host an event here." Snoddy added that the center hosts approximately 500 private functions a year, which run the gamut from weddings to conferences. 

In order to show off as much of the historic landmark as possible, Snoddy and her team had guests enter the building on its Randolph Street side—a change from the traditional point of entry on Washington Street. The move gave repeat guests a peek at the building's cafe, which sits just inside the Randolph Street entrance, and which Event Creative dressed up with spiderwebs, skeletons, and a pie stuffed with severed fingers (plastic, of course.)

Also new this year: The cocktail reception moved from the third-floor Preston Bradley Hall, where it was held in years past, to the second-level G.A.R. Hall. To get to the Phil Stefani Signature Events-catered dinner in Sidney Yates Gallery, guests climbed the stairs up to the fourth floor and passed through more areas of the building. Along the way, vignettes on each landing featured rat-strewn trash cans, abandoned pirate ships, and a Freddy Kruger statue bathed in eerie light.

The ball raised $500,000 for the Cultural Center.

The mayor and his wife's Halloween Ball
The mayor and his wife's Halloween Ball
Photo: BizBash
Event Creative covered the Cultural Center's Randolph Street entrance with a giant spiderweb.
Event Creative covered the Cultural Center's Randolph Street entrance with a giant spiderweb.
Photo: BizBash
As guests arrived, the Mystic Krewe of Laff's brass band performed on the Cultural Center's steps, causing passerby to stop and dance.
As guests arrived, the Mystic Krewe of Laff's brass band performed on the Cultural Center's steps, causing passerby to stop and dance.
Photo: BizBash
Event Creative began setup on the Monday before the event, filling window ledges with test tubes bearing plastic eyeballs, spiders, and a severed foot.
Event Creative began setup on the Monday before the event, filling window ledges with test tubes bearing plastic eyeballs, spiders, and a severed foot.
Photo: BizBash
After dinner, the Gentlemen of Leisure played dance music in the Sidney Yates Gallery, where a 'Pumpkin Patch' theme dictated the decor.
After dinner, the Gentlemen of Leisure played dance music in the Sidney Yates Gallery, where a "Pumpkin Patch" theme dictated the decor.
Photo: BizBash
Gruesomely made-up performers sat beside plastic skeletons in the Cultural Center's cafe.
Gruesomely made-up performers sat beside plastic skeletons in the Cultural Center's cafe.
Photo: BizBash
Outside the cocktail-and-appetizer reception in G.A.R. Hall, a pirate ship installation featured torn-up fabrics, hanging skulls, fish nets, and maps.
Outside the cocktail-and-appetizer reception in G.A.R. Hall, a pirate ship installation featured torn-up fabrics, hanging skulls, fish nets, and maps.
Photo: BizBash
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