Beaux Arts Ball goes casual -- Naperpalooza

Kevin Glynn remembers how much fun it was, back in the day, to get comfortable in a T-shirt and jeans, kick back with a beer and groove to a favorite band.

So, when it came time to plan this year's big fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise, Glynn thought it would be cool to deviate from the usual fancy, formal and highly successful formula.

For years, the club's annual bash, the Beaux Arts Ball, called on attendees to don gowns and tuxedoes and sit down to an elegant dinner.

"We were known for a very genteel event," he said. "It was very high-brow, black-tie and beautifully done."

In recent years, the soiree employed a Mardi Gras theme, a premise many other organizations also have adopted.

So, Glynn said, he figured it was time for something completely different.

Naperpalooza.

The casual-dress event will offer a taste-fest featuring gourmet fare from several of Naperville's finest restaurants and a performance by a seminal '70s band, blasting the doors off a warehouse-turned-party-hall.

Oh, and there's also a chance to snag a guitar autographed by Bruce Springsteen or a CD signed by the Rolling Stones, courtesy of a silent auction offering bidders nothing but rock 'n' roll memorabilia.

"It's almost like the 'anti-charity' event," said Glynn, chuckling.

The Ides of March, perhaps best known for their 1970 hit "Vehicle," will headline the concert. The show will open with The Play Doctors, a popular local cover band, said Dawn Ruth, club president.

Dishes served will include seared scallops, lamb, beef tenderloin and signature specialties from restaurants and caterers including Belgio's, Cafe Buonaro's, Catch 35, The Chafing Dish, Chef by Request, Hugo's Frog Bar, Meson Sabika, My Chef, Raffi's on 5th, Riva's, Sullivan's and Tessa's, Ruth said.

"It's really high-end. You're getting the best of the best," she said.

The event also will have an open bar and plenty of room for dancing inside a cavernous warehouse at Jackson Moving and Storage.

"We're transforming a warehouse into a 1970s concert venue," said Glynn, event chairman. "It's basically going to be a nightclub for a night."

Ruth said organizers hope the event draws between 400 and 500 guests and raises more than $40,000.

Proceeds will fund several Rotary projects, she said, including a school project in the African village of Tikondane in Zambia and musical instruments for Hurricane Katrina victims in Pass Christian, Miss.

The club also will accept donations of school, office and other items that will be shipped later in the month to the school and hospital members are working to develop in Tikondane. Guests will be able to see the solar oven, ultrasound equipment and bicycles for AIDS care-givers among the other items already donated. Club members still are looking for laptops, printers with cartridges, eyeglasses and watches, but say they can find a use for just about anything guests might donate.

Proceeds also will fund about $28,000 in college scholarships for Naperville high school students, she said.

Glynn said Rotarians plan to make Naperpalooza an annual rock-out event for charity.

"This," he said, "is the first of many."

If you go

What: Naperpalooza, sponsored by Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise

When: 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday

Where: Jackson Moving and Storage Warehouse, 740 Frontenac Road, Naperville

Tickets: $130 in advance, $150 at the door; tickets available online at naperpalooza.com

Info: (630) 420-1600 or naperpalooza.com