PREVIEW OF CONCERN FOUNDATION’S ANNUAL BLOCK PARTY TOMORROW NIGHT!
I usually celebrate Mr. X and my anniversary in this space today, but instead, I must tell you of a wonderful event tomorrow night that you should not miss if you’re anywhere near Los Angeles.
It’s Concern Foundation’s famous Block Party on the backlot of Paramount Studios. Besides that it’s the most fun and delicious event of each year, (my co-writer, Laura, says it’s the absolute best event she’s ever been to!,) it’s also the most worthwhile one, on every level and for everyone concerned. This will be the forty-eighth year of the Block Party, which raises millions of dollars for cancer research. And don’t all people want to be a part of that life-saving endeavor?
A snippet of the onstage auction at the 2022 Concern Foundation Block Party. Photo by INAM staff.
Before I share any more about what to expect, here’s the information you need to order your tickets right now:
Concern Foundation Block Party
Saturday evening, July 8, 2023 beginning at 6PM
Paramount Studio in Hollywood
www.concernfoundation.org/block-party
Even if you can’t make it out there, you can still bid on their fabulous on-line auction, which is actually available on their website right now. Just use the link above to access it.
There are two auctions on site tomorrow night, as well. There’s a silent one when you enter the soiree, and a really fun one onstage later on in the evening, so be prepared to find many fabulous items. My guests always nab some great ones, like tickets and VIP packages to major concerts and sporting events. I’m still jealous that a former co-writer of mine won a framed Derek Jeter jersey one year!!!
The Block Party has an interesting theme every year. This go-round it will be the clever The Land Before Time: The Extinction of Cancer. I can’t wait to see the decor for it!
The Concern Foundation Block Party honorees.
Concern always honorees some very worthy people or places that do an abundance of good toward curing cancer, and this year The Kallick Family will receive the Lifetime of Giving Award. And Cedars Sinai Cancer will also be acknowledged for their groundbreaking work focused on conquering cancer. (You can read all about the Kallicks and Cedars on the site at the bottom of this preview.)
As far as the festivities go, there are always several stages with wonderful music and dancing opportunities, photo studios, lounges, and casino-style gaming.
But the place where Laura and I head right away is the area where the Beauty Bus Foundation offers various beauty services. Last year, they braided our hair into crazy designs, and in the past, they’ve offered on-site minis.
On top of all that, how often does anybody get to walk around the interesting streets of the Paramount Backlot??? (Well, I’ve been there at least a hundred times in my varied show business career, and often to visit Mr. X on a set. And even more often to visit an executive for lunch, of course. The Paramount Commissary used to have the best tomato soup ever! But I assume that few else of us have been there ever, or any time outside of a previous Block Party.) Laura adored that new-for-her opportunity last year. So don’t forget to look around and take it all in. It’s quite the sight, especially the “sky” wall on the way in.
A fun group of musicians on one of the stages at the 2022 Concern Foundation Block Party. Photo by INAM staff.
I advise you to not eat all day leading up to the Block Party because there will be so many beautiful foods and beverages that you won’t want to miss trying them all. Last year, Laura was impressed with the many vegan and vegetarian options, so she assures you that, no matter your dietary bent, you’ll be stuffed by the end of the evening.
I have two more important suggestions for you for the event. First of all, even though it begins at 6PM, please wear sunscreen! In keeping with the quest of the evening, to cure cancer, let me assure you that skin cancer is every bit as scary as all of the others. I’ve had it twice on my face, and the Mohs surgery to get rid of it is serious. I’ve never again been so negligent to go without sunscreen. Even on overcast days. The few minutes of applying it are never worth rushing through.
One tiny example of one of the treats at a previous Concern Foundation Block Party. Photo by INAM staff.
My other recommendation is that you wear baggy clothing. I’m not kidding—you will eat that much! Even though I’ve spent most of my years in the public eye as a restaurant critic, first on my TV show, then in several newspapers and websites, and now to a lesser extent in this e-zine, most of these eateries are new to me, so I’m really looking forward to sampling their wares.
I hope to see all my readers there tomorrow night. Even if you already have plans, cancel them because you won’t have a better time, or be contributing to a more worthy cause, any place else!
For tickets and more information about the Block Party, in specific, and Concern Foundation, in general, just click here: www.concernfoundation.org/block-party
