In a somewhat startling paradigm shift, the McLean Orchestra’s annual patron’s gala on April 13 evolved from the traditional elegant Sunday afternoon “tea dance” into a “great celebration of life” led by the classic rock 'n' roll band, the Coasters.
Invited on stage by lead singer Dave Revels, auction chair Toni MacAulay was given her own microphone to sing the lead in “Charlie Brown” after the group opened with Chubby Checker’s hit song, “The Twist.”
That shattered the musical glass ceiling on style, and the band performed “Yackity Yak” and the other rock classics that had baby boomers shoving back their chairs and rushing to the dance floor.
They still remembered their dance moves and applied them to 1960s classics like “Shout” by the Isley Brothers, “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers, and “Only You,” by the Platters. That was Sheila Mudd’s invitation to take the stage.
And it was fun.
“I don’t do a lot of black tie [events] because most of it is boring,” said Martha Thomas of Great Falls. “I was pleasantly surprised. There was a lot of dancing going on. I thought people had a great time.”
The McLean Youth Orchestra performed earlier in the evening, and when it played later, the adult orchestra also worked some 1960s tunes into its repertoire.
One that sounded familiar to Charles and Martha Thomas turned out to be the Beach Boys’ hit song, “Surfin’ Safari.”
At first, “it was almost unrecognizable because it was played by an orchestra,” Martha Thomas said. “But it was very danceable.”
Despite competition from the prom crowd when she was shopping for a gown, Thomas found a short, sparkly gown and sensible shoes that would allow her to dance. Like most of the orchestra supporters, she wore red.
“A lot of people had on nice clothes and frumpy shoes” so they could dance, she said.
EARLIER, THE YOUTH ORCHESTRA and a smaller ensemble of orchestra members had performed.
The four-hour black tie fundraiser began with vichyssoise, filet mignon, and sauteed asparagus and culminated with “swapper’s dessert”: Tiramisu accented with chocolate musical notes for the gentlemen and strawberries with champagne sauce for the ladies.
Then, as a silent auction concluded and winners were identified, auctioneer Allen Parvizian sold an oriental rug, a sparkling red-sequined after-five evening jacket, and a year’s worth of new Saabs that will change color and model every three months.
The successful bidder, Andrea Custis, had just moved to town from Philadelphia and doesn’t have a car. Custis, president of Verizon Avenue, came to the event as a guest of Verizon’s Tony Lewis, she said. Her successful bid of $4,200 came just in time for her to drive a red convertible home.
The silent auction reflected the tastes of McLean: a Tiffany sterling silver heart, a dozen long-stemmed red roses, a Waterford vase, seven men’s neckties with a travel case, a bottle of Glenlivet single malt Scotch and a 63-bottle wine rack.