One thing you can be sure of – the ladies of the John’s Island Community Service League know how to throw a great party. They did so again this year with their Saturday Night Fever-themed Spring Gala, chaired by the uber creative Pat Thompson and her amazing committee, and held at the John’s Island Beach Club.
As at all famed disco clubs of the era, arriving disco divas and funky fellows were greeted at the door by ‘bouncers’ who checked them off the list before allowing them to enter. Once inside, the time-warped crowd – bedecked in big hair, sequins, platform shoes and psychedelic garb – partied with all the energy of the 1970s.
In the lobby, guests were asked to ponder the identities of the 20 disco-era heartthrobs in a John’s Island Hunkalicious Magazine poster – all hunky indeed. Later in the evening, almost 50 years after their photos were taken, the Hunks were revealed, each called up to the dance floor holding ‘fat heads’ of their 1977 photos.
After enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres by the pool, Chef Anthony Cole and his culinary team served up delicious dinner plates from Ristorante Anthony, with guests dining at tables set up all throughout the club.
Under the Disco Tent, the opening act of the evening featured José Ratto and Edwin Rivera leading the JI Dynamo Dancers who showed off their best boogie moves on the dance floor.
Thompson said the dancers had assembled every Wednesday evening for six weeks to polish up their disco skills for the choreographed dance.
And, while the evening was all about busting out, looking cool and making great memories, the annual gala is the main fundraising source of the John’s Island Community Service League.
Monies raised will be used to support the lives of women, children and families in need through grants to agencies with programs focused on health, education and human services. Last year, JICSL distributed roughly $2.136 million in Marlynn Scully Strategic Grants, annual grants and scholarships, thanks to the generosity of residents and sponsors of events such as this one.
For more information, visit JICSL.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
