CONCERN FOUNDATION 2023 BLOCK PARTY REVIEW

My co-writer, Laura, and I were privileged to attend last week-end’s Block Party at Paramount Studios thrown by the wonderful cancer research organization Concern Foundation. Laura deemed this “fun and festive event” to be “the best one of the year,” once again, an assessment I wholeheartedly agree with. And my team and I go to well over one hundred events per annum, so that’s saying something!

Of course, the best part of the Block Party for most attendees is the fabulous food and drink, but for me, all of that ranks way behind Concern Foundation’s raison d’être. And that is to raise much-needed funds for cancer research. It’s a safe guess that cancer has unfortunately touched all of our lives in one way or another, so getting more research done to rid the world of this insidious disease should be all our, well, concern! I so admire the smart and kind people who work so hard on this foundation, not just on this Block Party, but in all their important endeavors. And the best news is that, as of this writing, the total funds raised by that one event are about $2.1 million! How wonderful!

As always, the Block Party had so many aspects to it, beginning with the beautiful silent auction right as we entered the premises. I loved all the timely Barbie offerings! But I was the most happy to see the guests paying so much attention to the centerpiece of the occasion—the on-stage live auction and the awards portion of the evening.

If you missed my preview last week, the honorees were the Kallick family, who received the Lifetime of Giving Award, which means they’re incredibly kind, which I consider to be the most important thing in life. They said afterwards, “We were humbled by the recognition. We were so pleased to assist in raising funds for cancer research.” And Cedars Sinai Cancer was acknowledged for their groundbreaking work focused on conquering cancer. As someone who has most of my doctors at Cedars, I can assure you that the cancer program patients are in the best hands possible.

As to the venue itself, Laura says, “There is something very magical about being on the Paramount backlot, where we’re surrounded by Hollywood history.” She and I even “stoop sat” for a bit, so my Brooklynite self can attest to the fact that it really does feel like you’re on a New York street.

One thing we both noticed this time is how nice all the workers were, from the Paramount staff to the Concern personnel and volunteers to the people who manned all the food and beverage booths and specialty areas. It was truly a collection of people coming together to put on something world-class.

And I adored seeing so many age groups represented.  In the past, I had noticed mainly over-fifties at the Block Party. But this time, we kept coming upon giddy kids, teens, and twenty-somethings who all appeared to be having the time of their lives, especially with the many fun photo ops, and in the “beauty” room where you could get colorful clip-ons in your hair, or sparkles on your eyes and hands. I even spied a few babies in the crowd!  Concern’s Block Party is perfect for families. (So make sure to bring yours next year!)

Each Block Party has a theme, and this year it was The Land Before Time: The Extinction of Cancer, that latter part of which we’re all praying for. The designers must have loved working with that theme, which really lent itself to the decorations, which were mainly dinosaurs, big and small. A big moving one greeted us as we entered, and there were giant ones all over.  I got a kick out of seeing a trio of forty-somethings taking a selfie leaning into the mouth of one of them. (I’m not enough up on my dinosaur lessons to tell you what each one was. But I did spot a pterodactyl flying high above one of the facades toward the back of the lot; I have to admit, it did scare me for a second.)

The theme really appealed to me because back in the day, I had played a cavewoman on a children’s show. It was a really fun experience, even though the wardrobe people forgot to get my cute “Wilma Flintstone” costume. So they handed me a black skirt and top—and shoes!—belonging to the ten-year-old girl star, and shockingly, I fit into them all! (Remember—this was back in the day, when I was my formerly very skinny self.) And when we were done shooting, (meaning it was too late to change,) they finally showed-up with my real costume, which I would have loved to rock on camera! And at this Block Party, as well! (Thank goodness I spared everyone from that sight!)

Now let’s get to the food and drinks already!  Laura says, “It’s so much fun to walk around the streets of Paramount’s backlot, sampling the great offerings from the different vendors. I enjoyed seeing some of my favorites from last year there again, as well as discovering many new treasures.” For example, Westwood’s Emporium Thai made her cut again.  She told me, “Their vegetable curry is some of the best I’ve ever had; I love that they don’t dull down the spice level. And they augmented it with the best Thai iced tea ever!”

To continue the Westwood eateries theme, she once again greatly enjoyed STK’s famous sliders this year, (which surprised the guests with the “addition of truffle oil,”) saying, “I’m not much of a red meat eater, but I always make an exception for this event.” A new fave for her was Tao’s “delicious lobster wontons.”

My faves were all desserts this time. I could have lived at the table of La Conversation Bakery, which used to be an adorable cafe in West Hollywood, but is now delivery-only until they find a new location. The unbelievably pleasant servers there let each guest choose as many delicacies as they liked, and plated them for everyone, wearing gloves, so no one’s hands touched them, which I, and my fellow germaphobes, really appreciated. There were about twenty different tiny tidbits on offer, and the pièce de résistance–a full-size croquembouche that they pulled pieces off for the guests who wanted them!

But for those who wanted just a duo of superior cookies, there was the Gourmandise School from Santa Monica. They baked chocolate chip and triple chocolate cookies all night, from the second we walked in. We were all welcome to grab one or two which were already housed in little paper bags for us. I could have just stopped right there and been happy, but we did begin and end with them. Yum-my!!!

Since I drink only water, Laura reviewed all the beverages by herself. She tried as many as she could; I laughed a few times when I noticed her juggling three cups or cans at a time! She noted that, along with “established brands” of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, “we were able to sample some new products. There were some hard seltzers, a Tequila soda, canned Kombucha, and organic, vitamin-infused, flavored coconut waters in colorful bottles.” And here’s a shock—she enjoyed them all!  I really appreciated that there were big icy containers of giant bottles of flat water at every turn. A girl’s gotta stay hydrated!

Obviously, it’s over for 2023, and I feel bad for everyone who missed it. But if you’re smart, you’ll circle July on your 2024 calendars right now, so you don’t miss another Block Party.

And if you’re looking for a charitable organization to support, at any time, please check into the Concern Foundation. It will be worth your time. All you need to do to get started is click on this link: www.concernfoundation.org