Happy as a Lark

A record sell-out crowd of 300 guests descended on Sherry Villanueva‘s Funk Zone eatery The Lark for the 48-year-old Community Environmental Council’s ninth annual Green Gala, raising more than $125,000 for the cause.

The boffo bash, lavishly decorated in green hues, was co-chaired by Carolyn Fitzgerald, Leanne Schlinger Diebolt, and Elizabeth Wagner, with the ubiquitous City College Foundation honcho Geoff Green as emcee.

Energized Los Angeles auctioneer Jim Nye sold off an Aladdin’s cave of wares, including a private cruise on Hiroko Benko‘s Condor Express for $2,600, a party for 12 in a shipping container home for $2,400, a seven-day vacation to Mangonui, New Zealand, for $5,500 and a six day trip to Fiji, also for $5,500.

Sigrid Wright, CEC executive director, and John Steed, board president, co-hosted the fun fete, with speeches by climate activists Katie Davis and Kathi King, retired Santa Barbara Fire chief Pat McElroy and Maricela Morales, environmental justice activist.

SB high school student Lauren Cantin, who lost both her father and her brother in January’s devastating mudslides, sang with Dylan Edwards, a SB middle schooler.

Among the environmentally friendly guests, noshing on the scrumptious food of executive chef Jason Paluska, were Lois and Laura Capps, Hannah-Beth Jackson, Das Williams, Hal Conklin, Tim and Monica Babich, Luke Swetland, Karl and Nancy Hutterer, Janet Wolf, and Jean Schuyler.