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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Got the Blues? You Should Dance


Journal Staff Report
       Bring your sunglasses and fedoras.
    The mayor's charity ball this year is tackling autism, with a Blues Brothers theme.
    The ball starts at 6:30 Saturday night at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden, near Central and New York NW. It will feature Chicago-style hors d'oeuvres, time to sip bourbon and tequila, a gala dinner, live auction and dancing.
    The Blues Brothers Revival Band will play around 9. The ball will raise money to support the Center for Development & Disability at the University of New
    Mexico and Presbyterian Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
    Autism has been on the rise, Mayor Martin Chávez said, and City Hall wants to help groups addressing the problem. He said he has spent time with parents of autistic children, and it's "shocking" what they go through every day.
    "I've just been incredibly sensitized to it," he said.
    The event is largely sold out, but you can be put on a waiting list. There may be extra seats available at some tables, Chávez said.
    Call 311 to register. Individual seats cost $175, and tables of eight are $1,250.