Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/592488
34 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2015 T his year's Jubilee takes place Friday, December 4. For the 750 or so members and guests who attend, it will be an evening of glitz and grandeur. Jubilee 86: The Art of Celebration will paint the night with creative spirit, unforgettable cuisine, and nonstop excitement. As for the twist? "Think Jubilee sparkle with a quirky splash of art," says party planner and WAC Vice President Club Programs Melissa Borders. "We hope everyone gets a kick out of discovering the artistic surprises around the Club that night." That discovery will begin at the front door, carry through the lobby, and drift into the Noble Room and Johnson Lobby Lounge. From there, it's up the main staircase, into Torchy's and Hagerty's, and then up the stairs again. The 3rd Floor hosts what many consider the life of the party, the Crystal Casino. Enjoy your time at the tables, but don't forget to move around. Themed rooms on the 1st and 2nd floors will offer entertainment as well as artistic inspirations from Warhol, Picasso, da Vinci, and Toulouse, among others. Meanwhile, the place to dance will be back on the lobby level. "One year the bands were so good we forgot to eat," long-time WAC member Alana Morris says. And if you aren't eating and drinking at Jubilee, you're missing half the fun. "This is our biggest night of the year," WAC Executive Chef Eric Floyd says. "The entire culinary staff steps up for Jubilee. There is no better time to taste your way through the Club." PAINTING THE PARTY Member Jason Rittereiser joined the WAC with his wife, Michelle, just last year. Jason first attended Jubilee as a guest eight years earlier. "I remember it being a really fantastic evening," he says. "When we were deciding to join a new athletic club, the social opportunities and the holiday traditions played heavily into our decision." Last year the Rittereisers brought four guests to the party. "We're talking about expanding our guest list this year," Jason says. "Our friends that attended last year have already brought it up." Art will stay top of mind for all of this year's attendees—and not just in the event's French-, Italian- and Modernist- inspired rooms. Painter Sam Day will set up his easel in the lobby and paint the party as the night progresses. His canvas will offer an impressionistic view of a bash that's almost as old as the WAC itself. "It's interesting for people to watch," Day says. "They see the room and then come back an hour later and see that I've put in a couple of their friends. So there's great entertainment value to it." The West Seattle resident keeps a studio in Pioneer Square, and this will be his first Jubilee. "There is an aesthetic to that, to simply being able to capture something as it's moving," he says. "I also just love going to a party." Alana Morris and her husband, Peter, enjoy the party so much they once attended just two months after their oldest child was born. That was 24 years ago, the year they invited Alana's mom to stay with them at the Inn at the WAC on Jubilee night. "She stayed upstairs with our daughter so I could run up and feed her during the party and then go back down," Alana says. LIFE OF THE PARTY The Crystal Casino is the perfect place to roll the dice and take in all the action Jubilee has to offer. C O U R T E S Y S A M D AY To see an example of Sam Day's work, visit samday.com/eventservices.html.