“Rooney Bin: Waiting for the British royal wedding invite ... and waiting - Florida Times-Union” |
| Rooney Bin: Waiting for the British royal wedding invite ... and waiting - Florida Times-Union Posted: Just how long does it take for mail to travel from London to Jacksonville anyway? Britain's Prince William and bride-to-be Kate Middleton posted their gold-embossed royal wedding invitations about two weeks ago, but the Rooney Bin's invite hasn't shown up yet. Apparently, my spouse Lord Binmeister and I have been snubbed along with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle. French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni, didn't make the cut either. Sob. I was looking forward to giving Shorelines' readers the scoop on who's who among the 1,900 elite guests. You'd think they could squeeze in another couple. After all, Westminster Abbey is a big place, and we'd happily sit on the commoners' side of the aisle with English footballer David Beckham and his wife, Victoria, and the Middleton family's longtime friend John Haley, owner of the local pub they frequent. Along with 50 members of the royal family and 200 members of the British Parliament and diplomatic corps invited to the end of April spectacle, Queen Elizabeth II personally asked 40 royal heads of state, including the King of Jordan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Sultan of Oman, the King of Bahrain, the Sultan of Brunei, the King of Thailand, the Emperor of Japan, the King of Malaysia, the King of Tonga and musician Sir Elton John. It seems the Rooney Bin's been nixed. Is it sour grapes to say we really don't want to go anyway? Frankly, I have enough trouble getting my driver the Binmeister to leave his workshop to accompany me to local affairs, let alone cross the pond and don a morning coat for a wedding. Besides, I haven't a thing to wear. For ladies, ball gowns and hats - at least an everyday tiara - are de rigueur. And what does one get the couple who has everything ... a royal toaster, a Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card, "The Joy of Cooking Fish and Chips?" The royal rumor mill suggests William and Kate will live a simple life in a six-bedroom, eco-friendly house without servants. A nice thought, but I bet Ye Olde Merrie Maids will be on speed dial after little princes and princesses arrive. Nevertheless, I'm certain the pre-wedding hoopla will block all thoughts of cooking, housekeeping, changing diapers and home repair. - Back at the Beaches, Rooney Bin residents have more than enough parties to keep us busy and our minds off royal rejection. For example, Sylvia Martini sold raffle tickets as people arrived at Karma restaurant in Ponte Vedra Beach for a wine tasting and fashion show. The Feb. 22 fundraiser sponsored by Ponte Vedra Woman's Club attracted a crowd of 50 and raised about $2,000 for local charities. Karma served wine and nibbles, and A'Propos Boutique of Sawgrass Village gave folks a taste of summer fashions from casual wear to glamorous cocktail attire. Skinny jeans and tunics are in, and polka dots are popular once again, boutique owner Cathy Maddux says. Member models were Diana Kane, Beth and Chrissy Bacon, Celeste Hart, Kristin Pirris, Grace Brass, Pam Mahan, Carlene Shipley and Frankie Lyon. Karma donated a wine basket to the raffle of 14 fun baskets, such as an at-home Dillard's makeup party for 10 and a painting by Midge Scelzo. Kane chaired the event. The women's club holds monthly luncheons featuring interesting speakers. For example, the speaker at its Feb. 21 luncheon at Sawgrass Country Club was Julius Dean, diagnostic cardiologist at St. Luke's Cardiology Associates. Nevertheless, the philanthropic organization's main mission is to raise money for about a dozen area charities and scholarships. Next on the fundraising agenda is a Wednesday, March 23, fashion show/shopping boutique and lunch at Casa Marina restaurant in Jacksonville Beach. For details, e-mail Kane at dweizerkane@comcast.net or call 686-1396. - A group of 20 oenophiles, members of the St. Johns Societe Mondiale du Vin, gathered at the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse on Feb. 24 to learn what it takes to become sommeliers and explore the art of wine tasting. Mondiale is a chapter of La Chaine Des Rotisseurs, an international fine wine and dining society. Steven Jones, TPC senior director of food and beverage and certified sommelier, hosted the event led by Premier Beverage Master Sommelier Andrew McNamara. Guests tasted four wines, and McNamara instructed how to determine age, wine-making style, growing climate and sugar content by looking at clarity, sniffing aromas and tasting for sweetness, fruit, acidity and complexity. "It is a guessing game," McNamara said. "The only way to figure it out is to actually do this, to put words into the glass." TPC assistant food and beverage director Adam Shirah, 31, qualified to move on to the semifinal level of the Chaine des Rotisseurs and Societe Mondiale du Vin USA Young Sommelier competition for people 35 and younger. As the St. Johns chapter representative, Shirah had to pass an online test and take a practical exam. He's a step away from the June 4 national competition in Dundee, Ore. The national winner will go to a 2011 International competition in Athens, Greece in September. Shirah became interested in becoming certified as a sommelier after he started working at TPC Sawgrass. "It's a challenge I enjoy academically and personally, too," Shirah said. "I like visiting wine regions like Napa Valley and getting to know the wine makers. To me it's always the experience and not just the wines." - Folks didn't cross the pond for an evening of Mediterranean fun on Feb. 25. They drove to Casa Marina for the ninth annual HEROES "Wind Beneath my Wings" fundraiser. The party's 2011 Greek Night theme featured Mediterranean cuisine, fine wines, Greek dancers from Parea studio and belly dancers provided by Sahara Silk. The evening also included a raffle and a silent auction of gift baskets and gift certificates, with a room devoted to imported and handcrafted jewelry by Marina Vita and Cynthia Madsen. HEROES, an acronym for Helping Educate Responsible, Outstanding and Exceptional Students, is a nonprofit that funds educational scholarships for underprivileged youngsters at private schools such as The Foundation Academy, which uses the arts and experiential learning to teach children in kindergarten through grade 12. Foundation Academy graduate Valerie Fernandez said, "I loved the academy. It was family oriented with small classes. I made longtime friends and the school's acting classes opened me up to the arts." Academy grad David Lamoureaux conducted the live auction, which continued the Mediterranean theme, offering a week stay for 12 in a house in Litochoro, Greece, and a week in a condo for six in northern Greece. Among other tantalizing live auction items were a stay in a Casa Marina oceanfront suite and a getaway to Jackson Hole, Wyo. Casa Marina was the title sponsor for the event attended by about 250 people and organized by Chairwoman Maro Trendel. Other top sponsors were Destination Planning, Havenside Properties, Environeering, Marcos and Irene Perello, Robert Dawkins and Melissa Nelson. - Based on a pre-sold ticket count, about 450 people participated in the second annual Dart for Art benefit at Our Lady Star of the Sea's cultural center. In addition to silent and live auctions, the main event was the art dart, which began midway through the evening. About 140 original and limited-edition artworks, many worth $500, donated by well-known local, regional and national artists and area galleries lined Our Lady's cultural center walls on Feb. 26. Art lovers paid $175 a person or $225 per couple for the opportunity to take home their choice of a painting, print, sculpture or hand-blown glass. The ticket price included a raffle ticket for an original Rembrandt etching, "Christ Crucified Between Two Thieves." Folks circulated throughout the center noshing on hors d'oeuvres and eyeing the art. Each guest was assigned a number, so when their number was announced they ran to the artwork they wanted. The first guest to get to his or her favorite piece of art got to take it home. It was tons of fun with a serious purpose. The money raised will help young women in crisis due to unplanned pregnancies. Proceeds benefit St. Gerard's Campus in St. Augustine and The Women's Help Center of Jacksonville and the Beaches. St. Gerard's provides dormitory housing for unwed teens, an accredited high school and day care center and services, such as free pregnancy testing, food and clothing. The non-residential Women's Help Center offers peer counseling for women facing unplanned pregnancy, free pregnancy tests, information about options, maternity and baby clothes for clients, prenatal classes and support groups. John Clegg chaired the event with the help of a host of volunteers. Doug Ridgeway conducted the live auction that included a chance to be the first to dart for art, a large modern art John Allen painting donated by R. Roberts Gallery, and a three-dimensional artwork, "Santa Packing the Last Toy," by Dannehl Twomey. Ponte Vedra High School students Andrew Blocker and Caroline Snowden gave a violin performance. Montana Manilla, Charlotte Clegg and Sophia Erhard were among the teens welcoming guests and selling additional raffle tickets for the Rembrandt. The evening's top sponsors were the Gary Chartrand family, Castello/Escuder family, Robert Conway family, Jim and Ann Darling, Sanchez Wealth Management, Banfi Wine Distributors, Kay and Mike Zambetti, Raintree Graphics and Today's Buyer. - On Sunday, First Coast Women's Services will host an open house at 224 Third St. N., Jacksonville Beach, from 1 to 4 p.m. There will be center tours, live music, fellowship and lunch provided by Bono's Barbecue. The non-profit is another organization that helps women facing unplanned pregnancies. Centers at the Beaches, Mandarin, Baker and Clay counties offer free practical assistance and information about options to women facing pregnancy crisis, as well as free pregnancy tests, ultra-sounds and help for clients to apply for Medicaid. All services are confidential. - One wonders why William and Kate are in such a royal rush to marry. After dating for nine years, they are throwing the wedding together in a mere five months. The mother of the bride is probably beside herself making arrangements and dealing with interference by the groom's grandmum, who's invited more than her share of guests if you ask me. It's been said the couple chose the April 29 nuptials date because they want a spring wedding, and it's the feast day of Kate's namesake St. Catherine of Siena. British Prime Minister David Cameron has proclaimed the day a bank holiday. Lord Binmeister and I married on June 9, which, it turns out, is Donald Duck Day. No kidding. Maybe we should have checked that out ahead of time. Jackie Rooney is a freelance writer who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach. To contact her, please e-mail rooneybin@comcast.net. Or call 249-4947. Or fax 280-1899. Find more online This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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