Monday, September 12, 2016

Boonshoft Bash 2016: A Blast From The Past | Dayton Gala Photography

My husband and I are freshman, which is weird because our oldest kid is a freshman.  To clarify, we are wrapping up our first year on the Boonshoft Museum Associate Board.  We've learned a few things during our rookie year:

The Boonshoft Bash is a lively and light-hearted charity gala for the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio.  We've taken the kids to the museum for years yet somehow missed this.  If you and your kids love the museum, put this on your fall event schedule.  You'll have a fantastic time while supporting the museum.

The museum isn't just for kids. The after-dark events are pretty cool.  I mean, where else can you wear a tux, pet a sloth and plunge down a huge twisty slide all while swilling signature cocktails?

Pipe and Drape hides a bunch of clutter and brick-a-brack.  Consider it in lieu of cleaning when you host your next party at home.

The museum staff knows their stuff.  And they have a lot of cool stuff.   And sometimes they let us touch their cool stuff like artifacts and animals, which is AWESOME!  Except it's not awesome when they bring out a snake.  That's just icky.  And it triggers my recurring snake dream.





Several months of planning go into pulling off the Bash.  Once the theme was selected, the museum staff put their heads together to cull their extensive artifact collection for theme related pieces.  After all, it's an educational museum.  Each dining area had a unique theme:  Ice Age, Petrified Forest, Amber, Victorian Birds, Dinosaurs and Dayton Under the Sea.  The Associate Board selected decor to help convey those themes, but the really impressive touch is that the staff reset the display cabinets specifically for this event.  







The Ice Age room was breathtaking and magical.










What do Cocktails, Fish, and Shells have in common?

Well, nothing.

But Dayton was actually under sea, so we made a Dayton Under The Sea lounge and served specialty cocktails and scrumptious appetizers.  I'll drink to that! And maybe pass me another bacon wrapped (does it even matter, it's bacon) sweet potato and an onion puff in a filo tart shell.  Oh and did you try those deep fried risotto balls with Roma tomato pesto sauce?  They were....  

wait for it....

amaze-balls!










The Victorian Birds room was rich and magnificent.  Here you can see just a few of the museum's bird artifacts.











Guests that dined in the Petrified Forest were in for a treat.  I love the use of spot lighting and centerpiece height to create a feeling of grandeur.










Ah, the Dinosaur Room. 
I love this room.
I love the gold T-Rex Succulent Planter.
And I love Mark at the Flower Shoppe.

Forget roses, I want this for Valentine's Day, Jon.








Sneak peek of the Dinos to Dodos Exhibit.






DP&L was the presenting sponsor for Boonshoft Bash.  We transformed Science on a Sphere to become a lavish dining room that paid tribute to endangered animals.
Guests in this room enjoyed an exclusive interaction with Patience, the resident Sloth.

Yep.  You read that right. They brought out the Sloth.
(And because this girl has the camera, I was able to pet her too.)
Be patient.
Photos of the sloth are coming soon.
(get it?  patient? ... I've got corny jokes for days.)









The Amber Dining Room was stunning.  Florist, Mark Brueninghaus of The Flower Shoppe designed these unique centerpieces inspired by the real amber artifacts in the display case.




Admittedly, I was at first taken aback by the creepy crawlies suspending in the vases, but then I reasoned that the museum wouldn't actually harm bugs for the creation of a centerpiece.

I'm of the hit-them-with-a-heavy-shoe mindset when it comes to bugs.




After dinner, Guest retreated to the Dodo Bird Disco for dancing, drinks and photo booth fun.









You don't even have to miss the game for Bash.  You can hang out on a comfortable recliner provided by Morris Home Furniture, refill your drink at the private bar and watch you favorite game on the big screen compliments of Audio, Etc.







And here she is, the belle of the ball, 
Patience.




It's a rare gal that can pull off a single name sort of fame.

















The 2016 Boonshoft Museum Associate Board



Thank you for coming out on Saturday to support the museum at Boonshoft Bash.

Save-the-Date for Saturday, September 9, 2017 for the next Bash!




Very special thank you to the following In-Kind Sponsors:




Kirby and Cindy Gaboury – Audio Etc.










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