Four-Legged Friends

The party animals were out in costumed force when the popular charity Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network threw its 30th annual benefit at the Carriage and Western Art Museum, with a record 260 guests raising around $80,000 for the Goleta-based facility that rescues and treats more than 3,500 animals annually.

The bustling bash, co-chaired by Dana Fritzler and Pat Carter, was emceed by the ubiquitous KEYT-TV reporter John Palminteri, and yours truly, improving my judging credentials having dealt with hats, chili and gelato in recent months, was called upon to pick the winner from the many creative costumes on display.

The winner was Julia Parker, dressed as a bewitching Sorceress of Healing, who wins the chance to release an injured pelican back into the wild.

Julia, who oversees the rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife as director of facilities, formerly worked at Santa Barbara Zoo for 25 years, including being care supervisor for more than 500 animals.

Jim Nye from Placentia acted as auctioneer with a cornucopia of prizes, including seven days in an Alaskan log cabin on Cook Inlet, a week-long South African safari, a Caribbean escape for four to the Grenadine island of Bequia – just a short boat trip from Mustique, one of my favorite spots and now popular with Prince William and his family – a Colorado condo in Breckenridge, and VIP tickets to the Ellen DeGeneres show in bustling Burbank.

Among the animal lovers turning out in force were Gretchen Lieff and Miles Hartfeld, Jean Schuyler, Cynthia Ziegler, Nigel and Connie Buxton, Thomas and Nancy Crawford, Diana MacFarlane, Dave and Nancy Gustafson, Scott and Leslie Deardorff, and Will and Sarah Borgers.