Aug. 20, 2004, 11:36PM
Queen Noor is on her way. Ivana Trump is booked for lunch. And Irish tenor Ronan Tynan plans on warbling for charity later in the season.
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The fall social semester is chock-a-block with personal appearances and entertainment designed to separate you from a portion of your discretionary income all in the name of charity.
The celebs are booked. The invitations are at the printer. All that remains is for those with a taste for the philanthropic social scene to step up to the plate. Buy the tickets. Purchase the underwriter tables.
Individuals with a taste for the exotic might want to pony up at the $5,000 underwriter level for Royal Portraits: Marwar Painting From the Royal Collection of the Mehrangarh Museum. Supporters of the exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will be invited to schmooze with the former royals of Jodhpur, India, the Maharaja Gaj Singh II and the Yuvraj Shivraj Singh.
Not only will the father-and-son duo be on hand at the private opening of the exhibition from the museum in Jodhpur, but they will also be honorees at the "Polo in India: A Glorious Tradition" benefit the MFAH is sponsoring at Houston Polo Club Oct. 17.
Ann M. Short and polo player extraordinaire John Goodman chair the afternoon of polo that eases into a cocktail reception and an Indian-themed dinner.
Ivana Trump wings our way Oct. 26 for the first "Catwalk for a Cure" luncheon benefit at Hotel Derek, where Trump will be guest speaker and Saks Fifth Avenue will present a best-of-season show. Erin Heath and Amy Palmisano co-chair the event, which honors the memory of Sherry Holmes and benefits the Amschwand Sarcoma Cancer Foundation. Designer Bill Hamilton of New York will add to the celeb factor. Tickets are $200.
Although former President George Bush and Barbara Bush won't be able to attend the "Trees of Hope" gala Nov. 19, they are serving as honorary chairs along with Lynn Wyatt for the evening, which will feature Ronan Tynan onstage. Janice and Bob McNair are chairing the black-tie evening with tickets priced from $500 per person.
Queen Noor, widow of the late King Hussein of Jordan, will be the honoree at the Institute of International Education Sept. 24 gala, "A Mosaic of the Middle East: Opening Minds to the World." Serving as honorary chairs are Susan and James Baker III, Francoise and Edward Djerejian and Zeina and Nijad Fares. Tickets are priced from $175 for the black-tie evening, which begins with a Middle Eastern bazaar.
An international mood continues with the Nov. 8 launch of the American Friends of the Louvre. The organization's premier benefit takes shape as a gala evening in the Memorial home of John and Becca Cason Thrash and features a runway show of fashions by designer Ralph Rucci. Neiman Marcus is presenting underwriter for the evening with tickets priced from $750. A cosmopolitan contingent, including numerous Europeans, is expected. American Friends of the Louvre chairman Christopher Forbes will be among the glitterati.
From the sublime to the gritty, the Deacons of Deadwood Harley motorcycle club holds its annual charity "gala" Sept. 11. The rumble begins early with a pre-party at the Twelve Spot downtown and then proceeds with a police-escorted Harley ride en masse to the Capital Grille.
Club president and benefit oganizer Sam Allen promises a sophisticated night of fine food, drink and decor. Check out the full-size Harley ice sculpture. All for $125 a person. Proceeds benefit Boys & Girls Country.
One of the fall's most enjoyable fund-raisers, the American Cancer Society's Holiday Shopping Card is sponsored by Victory, the Cattle Baron's branch of ACS. The $60 card provides a 20 percent discount on goodies at more than 550 stores.
Shopping Card chairs Courtenay Butler and Julie Ramzel and Victory president Sandy Connor have announced that discounts are offered from Oct. 21 through Oct. 31. Cards go on sale Sept. 1 and are available through merchants, the American Cancer Society and Holiday Shopping Card kickoff festivities midday in the Galleria on Oct. 21.
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