Philly’s Masquerade Ball in Sneakers—What a Perfect Fit!
Philly’s First ‘Trauma Survivors Foundation Black Tie & Sneakers Masquerade Ball’ at LIVE! Casino on Saturday, November 5th
Philadelphia, PA—Imagine yourself in an elegant gown, dressed up with your hair coifed, primed and ready for an evening that will take your breath away. And standing next to you is your own version of Prince (or Princess) Charming.
As you finish putting on the last touches to your attire, stopping for a second to think, “Am I really going to an elegant masquerade ball in comfortable sneakers?” The answer is yes, and to what do you owe this small added comfort? The Trauma Survivors Foundation’s1 annual Black Tie and Sneakers Gala is back—and for the first time ever it is being celebrated in Philadelphia!
The evening will begin at 7 p.m. inside Philadelphia’s LIVE! Casino with a cocktail hour. For attendees who purchased tickets for the entire evening’s events, the Ball will begin at 8:30 p.m. following the cocktail hour.
The stunning 1,000-person gala fundraiser will be held on Saturday, November 5th inside the LIVE! Casino’s Event Center at 900 Packer Avenue in South Philly with a who’s who in attendance.
So as you continue imagining what to expect: You’ll arrive at the event looking fabulous, picture perfect for your red-carpet arrival. Once inside you’ll find yourself immersed into a cocktail hour full of celebrated Chefs, Distilleries, Breweries, and Wineries making exquisite foods, cocktails, and other generous pours for you to enjoy.
If you’re wondering exactly what the menu will entail, the street food cocktail hour and dinner lineup were curated by Ange Branca of Kampar’s Kitchen. Branca, who has been hyper-focused on bringing the food portion of this event together, curated the menu options to feature a very impressive and diverse group of talented Philadelphia-area chefs and makers.
“This is an amazing foundation for people to come out and help, so I hope to see as many people as possible come together to have fun and support this fantastic non-profit,” stated Branca in a press release. She continued, “The food and the diversity of chefs we have amassed will make this one of the most delicious events of its kind this year. This is the most diverse food event happening in Philly this fall, and it includes an incredible collection of chefs and artisans. The majority of the makers participating cook underrepresented food, and the Kampar Kitchen platform shines a spotlight on all of these amazing culinary minds so they can share their talents and make these flavors available. Guests attending this event will definitely appreciate the diversity we have in Philly while supporting these chefs and this very important foundation.”
These street food-style bites will include culinary delights from Chef Ange Branca’s Kampar Kitchen, James Beard Foundation Fellow Chef Tonii Hicks, Hardena, Victoria en Philly, Cartagena Empanada, Sri’s Company, and Trinh Eats will all be served during the cocktail hour. For dinner, the menu will feature a lavish raw bar, carving stations, brisket sliders and smoked meatballs from Mike Strauss’s Mike’s BBQ, a Chilean salad bar from Mole Street Baker, and compositions from Wilmington’s Hamilton on Main. Of course no one can leave without a bonne bouche (good mouthful) of dessert! The sweet endings of everyone’s meals will be enjoyed from Pennsport’s Cake & Joe, and East Passyunk’s Kouklet Brazilian Bakehouse.
As for the beverages of the evening; you can look forward to the open bar featuring beer, wine, cocktails and craft spirits from an all-star cast of regional producers include Philadelphia Distilling, Revivalist Gin, Resurgent Whiskey, Boardroom Spirits, Dad’s Hat PA Rye, Five Saints Distillery, and Kiki Vodka. Wines will be served from Gloucester County, NJ’s Wagonhouse Winery and Australia’s 19 Crimes, as well as beers from Barley Creek and Lewes, DE’s Big Oyster Brewery, which produces a Survivors IPA that raises funds for the Trauma Survivors Foundation.
After satisfying your hunger with delicious foods and libations, you join the other guests clad in black ties, gowns, and sneakers—just one thing is missing; the allure of finding out who is behind all of those masquerade masks?
As you dance to the rythymic vibrations playing live from the band Kristen and the Noise, you can sneak off to bid on some of the items from the silent auction, or take the opportunity to strike a pose at the photo booth. Who knows what else the evening will offer? Perhaps you will win one of the raffle prizes up for grabs? Or have the chance to meet one of the celebrity guests. And who knows, maybe you will be the lucky winner to take home the prized “Best Damn Sneakers” Award—anything is possible during this years Black Tie & Sneakers Gala!
Wait! You said celebrity guests! Yes, I did. There will be appearances from Mrs. Pennsylvania, Sheri Jenkins, Grace Lange, Miss Delaware, and Megan Myers, Mrs. Maryland, along with a host of beauty queens from throughout the mid-Atlantic U.S. In addition to the bevy of beauty queens, there will also be appearances by Terrill Haigler (AKA Ya Fav Trashman) as well as some of the sponsors including Darrell Alston’s Bungee Oblečení sneakers, LIVE! Casino, and a host of other local businesses.
“We have so many communities represented at this event, and since Philly is such an interesting, diverse melting pot, this is the perfect stage for our tenth annual fundraiser,” said Trauma Survivors Foundation founder Dennis Carradin. “We expect approximately 1,000 attendees, and hope to raise more than $100,000 from this fun and delicious soirée.”
And how might you obtain tickets for this event? Entry to The Ball is $75 for just the cocktail hour, which takes place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. with all of the aforementioned chefs, beverage brands, and music by SNACKTIME. Tickets for the main event cost $150, which provides access to the cocktail hour, dinner, the party, music from Kristen and the Noise, a silent action, raffle prizes, a photo booth, and an open bar featuring the beers wines and local craft distilleries pouring through the end of the night. While the event is black tie, and tuxedos and gowns are encouraged, The Ball is a sneakers-only affair. Purchase tickets and learn more at http://blacktiesneakersgala.com.
The mission of the Trauma Survivors Foundation is to provide resources, education, and training necessary to serve those affected by trauma. As a foundation, they acknowledge and support the hard work put forth, sacrifices made, and acts of selflessness displayed by first responders. The Foundation is proud to offer scholarships for college-bound or current college students who are children of Volunteer FireFighters or Police Officers, to show their support and sincere gratitude for their parents’ services. The Trauma Survivors Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Delaware. The money raised through donations from caring individuals goes directly to providing trained therapists for emergency response during and after traumatic events, training to expand the network of responders and scholarships to those that want to become certified and help carry out their mission. All their services are offered at a national level. For the past nine years, the Foundation has provided thousands of trauma survivors with resources, education, and training to aid their recovery. Since the inception nine years ago, 30,000 individuals have been helped through crisis intervention, there have been 2,500 have been trained therapists and crisis interventionists, 40,000 meals have been delivered to healthcare workers and first responders, and there have been 2,100 crisis responses.