![\"One](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/IMG_2681-e1499928107927.jpg\")
<\/a>One of the big decorations. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
The best part, of course, is that the soiree raised so much money for the cause. But along the way, the thousands, (and I do mean\u00a0thousands<\/em>,) of guests were entertained royally.<\/p>\n Speaking of royally, the theme this year was Kingdom of Concern:\u00a0An Evening of Feasting, Revelry and Dance. That motif was carried through the whole evening, with plenty of wenches strolling along\u00a0the back lot of Hollywood\u2019s Paramount Pictures Studios, and even a sighting of a knight in armor or two. (I know for a fact that it was\u00a0real<\/em> armor because one bumped right into me really hard!)<\/p>\n It’s a testament to the organization and event that everyone showed-up, and stayed, on what has got to be the hottest night of the year! And enjoyed themselves!!! No one wanted to miss this event, trust me.<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n First let me share what the whole evening was like, and then I\u2019ll tell you about the honorees. The first thing that caught my eye on the way in was a sign in giant capital letters that read\u00a0 \u201cSMOKING IS NOT PERMITTED AT THE BLOCK PARTY.\u201d In smaller writing, it told us that \u201cTobacco smoke contains thousands of chemical agents, including over 60 substances that are known to cause cancer.\u201d I was so grateful to see signs like that all over the grounds. I\u2019ve been saying that very same thing for many years now to every idiot who still smokes!<\/p>\n A very small portion of the silent auction items. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Right after we were greeted by members of the \u201ckingdom,\u201d I noticed the plentiful silent auction. There was a dizzying number of items in there; I don\u2019t know how the bidders decided among them!<\/p>\n And, of course, the generous all-night-long food was a major attraction of the Block Party. All in all, there were about seventy-five different restaurants, caterers, and bakeries, all serving their most famous fare for the duration of the event. I laud all the vendors for participating, and feel that they\u2019re so kind to do so! I now want to review them\u00a0all\u00a0<\/em>for you, since you know how much I love kind eatery personnel. On top of that, everything that my friend, Lisa, and I tried was first-rate. And what a variety of items was featured! Some of the highlights were burgers, pizza, hot dogs, sushi, Mexican food, soul food, cookies, cakes, ice cream, and my favorites\u2014believe it or not\u2014several creative salads<\/em>!<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of The Sprocket Project, as is the big one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n There were all kinds of beverages, as well, but since I don\u2019t drink anything but water, I didn\u2019t check them out. But, speaking of water, I really appreciated that the organizers made sure to have tons of bottles of water at the ready throughout the evening, to keep the guests hydrated in the brutal heat of the night.<\/p>\n There was an indoor area with hair and make-up services, which Lisa and I didn\u2019t need, (because I never want to show up to an event looking like I need work,) but we were more than happy to avail ourselves of the fabulous chair messages on offer. There were also several casino tables, which looked like tons of fun; I wish we had been able to make some time to play.<\/p>\n The guy on the bottom left was as entertained by this whole stage “show” as I was! Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n But we\u00a0did<\/em>\u00a0sit in one of the several music areas for quite awhile. There were other stages with live music, but the one we chose had a DJ and a lively emcee, who\u2014how shall I put it?–\u201dencouraged\u201d the audience into coming onstage to sing and dance. Everyone who joined in had a great time! He couldn\u2019t get the mike out of one woman\u2019s hand for about an hour, she was having such a great time!!! And we were having an equally good time watching her!<\/p>\n Another special activity was taking pictures in the multiple photo booths. I counted at least three of them, as a matter of fact. One of them even put our 3D photos on our choice of a magnet or luggage tag. How clever!<\/p>\n Spirit of Concern Humanitarian Award recipients Bruce Singer and Kelly Stone. But the most compelling part of the evening was the presentation of the Spirit of Concern Humanitarian Awards to Kelly Stone, Bruce Singer, and Eden Alpert, who\u2019s part owner of the restaurant Vibrato, which I cannot believe I\u2019ve never reviewed for you guys yet! I actually got to meet her dad, the famous trumpeter Herb Alpert, who looked unbelievable! [Note: There will be a picture of him in my next Celeb Sightings column, so you can see that I’m not exaggerating.] He was meeting and greeting everyone around the big stage, like the pro that he is.\u00a0 This entire group of award recipients is deserving, although that\u2019s not at all why they do what they do. They\u2019re just genuinely good people, which I wish we had more of in this world.<\/p>\n Then came the live auction, which is always entertaining for the Concern Foundation Block Party attendees. It started right off with a bang when Dodger tickets kicked it off, and it went from there.<\/p>\n The stage presentation. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n I have to admit that I didn\u2019t stay until the bitter end of this wonderful event this year, as I had last year, because I had to get out of the heat. So, I\u2019m sorry to say that I cut my visit to the Block Party a bit short this go-round, which means that I probably missed one thing or another.<\/p>\n But I\u2019m already looking forward to next year\u2019s version\u00a0of this fete! But wouldn\u2019t it be great if the Concern Foundation raised so much money this year that a cure for cancer was found before<\/em> then, meaning that we wouldn\u2019t even need<\/em> the Block Party?! Except as a celebration<\/em>! So I still hope to see you all there in 2018!<\/p>\n For more information, on the Concern Foundation, or to donate, please go to www.concernfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CONCERN FOUNDATION BLOCK PARTY 2017 After attending this cancer research charity\u2019s incredible fundraising event\u00a0last\u00a0year, I could not wait for\u00a0this\u00a0year\u2019s presentation. And, if possible, 2017\u2019s rendition of the Concern Foundation Block Party was even better than the previous one! The best part, of course, is that the soiree raised so much money for the cause. But<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
Photo courtesy of The Sprocket Project.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/a>