Nothing critical to say in this post about the Celebrity Dinner Party with Coach Denny Crum, held Friday. It’s a great charity event that’s stood the test of time — Friday’s was the 40th annual — and is successful because the Coach does a lot more than attach his name to it.
He actively recruits celebrity waiters, for one, including many former players. We ran into him checking the roster of silent auction items — before the doors were officially opened. Denny even told a joke to get the program rolling.
And, oh yeah, he offers the best auction prizes - like the Dinner for Six with Coach and Susan - in which Coach Crum does the cooking at his home. You could also bid on a week’s lodging at the Coach’s Idaho retreat - a five-bedroom home in the Rockies (it went for more than $4K). You could book a guest appearance on the Joe B. and Denny Radio Show, or attend a football or basketball game with the Coach in the good seats.
About 350 attended the event, including Metro Council president Jim King and Semonin CEO Brad DeVries. The wait staff was an enthusiastic bunch, representing nearly every media outlet in town. Of course, the most outrageous was Makers’ Mark’s Bill Samuels, who would have been a pretty popular waiter even if he hadn’t given away multiple bottles of his signature product. He told me I was welcome to borrow one of his pink suits.
Read the rest and peep the photo gallery after the jump…
None of the celebrities who gave up their Friday night for charity seemed to mind, and many of them do it year after year. I spoke to the Courier’s Bob Hill, who estimated he’d been to a majority of the 40 events, going back to the days when Pee Wee Reese was the host.
Here’s a list of the celebrities that may not be totally accurate, and is in no particular order — with apologies in advance for anyone I missed:
TV and Radio: WAVE’s Kevin Harned, WHAS-TV’s Joe Arnold, WLKY-TV’s Rick VanHoose and Jim Bulleit, WDRB-TV’s Jennifer Baileys and Valerie Chin, the Courier-Journal’s Bob Hill, LEO’s Bill Doolittle, Lite 106.9’s Kathi Lincoln and Vicki Rogers, WHAS-Radio’s Paul Rogers, The Bob and Will Show’s Will Wolford.
Big Names In Town: John Asher from Churchill Downs, ex-Lt. Gov. Steve Henry and ex-Miss America Heather French Henry, ex-Survivor contestant Rodger Bingham, National American Miss Olivia Henken.
Crum’s Card Contingent: Roger Burkman, LaBradford Smith, Jimmy King, Craig Hawley.
And lest we forget, the hostess was WFPL-FM’s Susan Sweeney Crum.
6 responses so far ↓
1 Bonnie Hackbarth // Feb 11, 2008 at 9:43 am
If you missed out on this great dinner with Coach Crum, you still have a chance to enjoy popcorn and a movie at his home. Crum, continuing his generous donations to local charity, has offered an “evening in” with Denny and Susan, to be bid on as an auction item at the 9th annual Oscar Night America Gala. The Gala is the only Oscar-related event in the region to be sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and will raise funds for Family & Children First (FCF). FCF serves children and their families suffering from abuse, violence and other trauma, and runs the Child Advocacy Center, which serves every sexually abused child in our area. The Gala is Feb. 24 at 6 p.m.–for tickets, call 893-3900, and enjoy all the glamour of Hollywood’s most exciting night, while also helping the children in our community.
2 Mike Berry // Feb 11, 2008 at 10:17 am
Out of all the waiters and people hustling tips for Crum and Cystic Fibrosis that evening, why use three shots of Steve Henry? Three!!!…and why only the back and side of Heather’s head. You may be a competent writer but the photography and editing skills may need some honing.
3 Jake // Feb 11, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Mike: Hold your horsies.
The photos of Henry were used because it’s absolutely BIZARRE that he would be out in public in his current legal situation. He’s been in hiding for eight months. With the huge amount of political readership we receive we decided it was necessary to post all of the photographs we were able to snap. Or judgment proved to be well thought out, as the three Henry photographs have received 91% of all clicks today.
4 links for 2008-02-12 | The Straight Pitch // Feb 11, 2008 at 8:22 pm
[…] Look Who We Saw Waiting Tables (tags: makersmark) […]
5 Susan Sweeney Crum // Feb 13, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Um… Rick… Hellooooo! A little credit here…! Yes, Denny does grill the steaks and salmon, but I do the rest of the cooking for the big dinner at the Crum house! :) But hey, you did give me props at the very end anyway! Glad you were there, and it was a great event. I think everyone had fun, and most of all, it benefits a great cause. The celebrities are ALWAYS great, and they make the event a success!
6 Teri // Feb 14, 2008 at 1:27 pm
If you missed this year’s event and want to be sure to receive an invite for next year, please drop an email to kent-wv@cff.org!
Thanks to Rick, Susan, Denny and all our guests and celebrities who helped us raise over $60,000 for vital cystic fibrosis research. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the only organization raising funds to find a cure and effective treatments for cystic fibrosis. For additional information on how you can be a part of the cure, visit us at http://kentucky.cff.org or give me a call - 326-1371
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