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| Steve and Dawn Moore, 2019 Zoo To Do Event Chairs (credit: Thomas Garza) |
This year’s Zoo To Do fundraiser, presented by The Eugene McDermott Foundation was without a doubt the most Instagrammable party of the year. In addition to being greeted by Dawn and Steve Moore, this year’s Event Chairs, the 700 guests who came through the front gates of the Dallas Zoo on Saturday, November 2, were welcomed by animal ambassadors including flamingos, an anteater and penguins as a reminder of why Zoo To Do is so important. Proceeds from the event help support the Dallas Zoo’s dedication to providing the best animal care, deliver unique education offerings, and strengthen its wildlife conservation efforts. Honorary Chef Chair Dan Landsberg of Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa, along with Chef Wrangler Brett Krafft from the Hilton Lincoln Centre joined guests at the award-winning Giants of the Savanna exhibit for a strolling dinner among the 30 restaurant stations representing the finest restaurants in Dallas. How often can one say they had lions, elephants, African painted dogs and cheetahs as dinner companions!?
At each station, executive chefs served delicious gourmet treats of appetizers, entrée specialties and desserts. Bars scattered throughout the exhibit provided fine wines and craft cocktails. Partygoers could feed and pet the giraffes and enjoyed interactive experiences with flamingos, a penguin, boa constrictor, anteater, tortoise, armadillo, and an owl. Among those in attendance were Barbara and Don Daseke, Hal and Diane Brierley, Doris Jacobs and Tucker and Rich Enthoven, Lori and Chuck Whitten, Robyn and Chris Chauvin, Ed Belfour, Jenna Owens and Francisco Rizo, Hamilton Sneed, and Jane McGarry.
Meanwhile, back at the Zoo’s front gates, the Zoo To Do 2: The After-Party chaired by Brett Moore, Blair Moore Raggio, Brooke Moore was kicking off. Over 150 partygoers came out for Phase Two of the evening to enjoy face-painting, carousel rides, and networking with the Zoo’s animal ambassador and cocktails. Following the dinner and live auction portion of the evening, the Zoo To Do 2 after-party crowd joined in the celebration at the Wilds of Africa Plaza where everyone then danced the night away to music from Emerald City All-Stars, one of the city’s best live party cover bands. 2019 event chairs, Dawn and Steve Moore, credit the event’s smashing success to the hard work of underwriting committee chair Chuck Whitten, with Mark Enoch, Scott Gregory, Paul Haney, Ruth Ruhl, and Joan Walne; host committee chair Kevin Hanrahan; live auction chair Diane Brierley with Arlene Brantley, Barbara Daseke; big board chair Cindy Gummer, silent auction chairs Alex Arellano and Robyn Chauvin with Rudy Rodriguez and raffle chairs Justin Shipley and Gloria Snead; wine guys Mike Gruber, Greg Hext, Michael Meadows; host committee members; and support from advisory event chair Kim Hext, patrons, underwriters, and sponsors. For more information, visit the website at http://www.dallaszootodo.com.
