BestofTexas.com, the interactive lifestyle and community guide for all the best Texas has to offer, held their first charity happy hour the evening of March 25th. The event took place at Jack's Backyard Grill in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, and supported MHDA's The Bridge homeless shelter. Pulled together in less than four days, the event was also a cover for the (TLC) BBC TV show 'What Not to Wear'.
Amanda Newman-Warr, Editor-in-Chief at Best of Texas, was nominated by her husband and coworkers to be on the show. Once her nomination was confirmed, the company worked with the network to set up a hidden camera in her office and get her out to events to have secret footage shot of her working in her get-ups. Best of Texas was asked to set up a 'Best of Texas Happy Hour' for the big surprise, when Amanda would be chosen by TLC, hosts Stacey and Clinton.
Best of Texas established the venue at Jack's Backyard Grill, owned by Cathy Jack, who welcomed the idea with open arms. Local Texas band, Eastwood rocked at the event. The afternoon of the event started off a little hectic, with a 20-person production crew running around doing interviews and shots with the hosts - all while the rain poured continuously outside.
The 'What Not to Wear' cover was kept secret to essentially everyone, up until the event host, Marketing Director Ashley Wicks, went onstage to thank everyone for coming to support MDHA's The Bridge. During the speech, with Amanda intently filming every second, hosts Stacy and Clinton stormed the crowd and grabbed the microphones to surprise the nominee. From there on, cameras shot everything imaginable, and eventually took Amanda off to shoot more footage for the television show.
Despite the weather, the turn-out for the event was great. Over 100 local individuals showed up attend the Best of Texas charity happy hour and to support The Bridge Homeless Shelter. The guests enjoyed free food, free valet, live music by Eastwood, prize drawings and $ 3 Best of Texas 'Ritas. 100% of the profits from the sale of the drink went directly to The Bridge.
Best of Texas raised $ 325 in drink sales, $ 330 in cash donations and about five boxes worth of Wish List items to be donated to the multi-purpose homeless facility. "To know that we were able pull this event together on such short notice, and have it be a complete success, is a wonderful feeling. Having 'What Not to Wear' at our event was the icing on the cake.
The night turned out to be fun as well as meaningful" says Ashley Wicks.
"Although the happy hour event was staged for the BBC 'What Not to Wear' show this time around, we plan on hosting monthly charity events throughout Texas to rally the community and support local charities. In tough economic times like these, it's important that we stay involved and do all that we can," says Best of Texas CEO, Carrie Layne.
About BestofTexas.com-
BestofTexas.com provides local residents and travelers to Texas a one-stop source for the most up-to-date information and user reviews on events, businesses and services - from dining to professional services and everything in between. At BestofTexas.com, they're not just another online information provider - they're a lifestyle provider. For more information regarding advertising with BestofTexas.com, visit http://www.bestoftexas.com/advertise.php.
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