New Orleans Moonlight Masquerade to Benefit LAF Programs

Guests will enjoy the mystery of a masquerade garden party at one of the most elegant, antebellum mansions in the Garden District of New Orleans during the 18th Annual LAF Benefit Dinner, the Moonlight Masquerade. The event will be held Thursday, October 30, 2003 during the ASLA annual meeting in New Orleans.

Each guest will receive a decorative party mask and will be treated to an evening of Southern hospitality at the historic Van Benthuysen-Elms Mansion on St. Charles Street. Hors d’oeuvres and food stations featuring Cajun and Creole cuisine including crab cakes, crawfish and other savory specialties will be offered inside the extravagant 1869 Italianate-style mansion. Fun and festivities will take place beneath the moonlit sky where guests will masquerade throughout the beautifully lit gardens that surround the mansion. The Van-Benthuysen-Elms Mansion is located blocks from the French Quarter and Canal Street, and is accessible by streetcar.

Proceeds from the Moonlight Masquerade benefit the landscape architecture profession by supporting signature LAF programs including the Landscape Futures Initiative and the Land and Community Design Case Study Series. The Grape Escape held last year in San Jose, California raised more than $23,000 for LAF programs.

Wallace Roberts & Todd and NUVIS are the first to commit to sponsorship of the event this year. Contact Melinda Sippel at 202-331-7070 ext. 14 or msippel@lafoundation.org for more information on sponsorship opportunities.