Left: Larry. Lois and Missy Shaevsky, Yale Levin, Alan Kaufman and a Zoo guide check out the polar bears.
Above: Steve Strome and Yale Lvin outside the Arctic Ring of Life.

very city's got one. That quintessential
host or hostess for whom entertain-
ing is more a way of life than one of
life's obligations.
And much like the legendary Perle Mesta, whose
grand parties in the pre-Kennedy era were so sub-
lime in every detail she soon became known as
"the hostess with the mostess," today's successful
event planner knows the key to a great gathering
begins with, to borrow a phrase from real estate
circles, "location, location, location."
In southeastern Michigan, what the lilliputian
Lois Shaevsky lacks in heft, she more than makes
up for with a creative streak that borders on the
immense. In fact, guests at a dinner she and
her husband, Mark, hosted last summer had the
pleasure of supping with the polar bears — literally
— at the Detroit Zoological Park's Arctic Ring of Life.
The exhibit tour and dinner, which was an auc-
tion prize the Bloomfield Hills residents won at the
Zoo's annual Sunset at the Zoo fundraiser, allowed
for six couples to enjoy a multi-course, gourmet
meal while the polar bears swam and sunned
themselves overhead.
"No one could picture [what the set up would
be]," Shaevsky says when asked what her friends
thought about the idea of enjoying pan-roasted
sea bass with pesto tomato compote with only
panes of glass — albeit reinforced — separating
them from those lumbering Arctic hunters.
And when her guests arrived? "They were so
impressed," she says, adding that the staff at the
Zoo created an elegant setting and served a truly
fine dinner. There were even goodie bags, courtesy
of the Zoo, for each guest.
As for mixing species while breaking bread,
Shaevsky says people tire of predictability and

attending functions at familiar venues. Plus dinner
with the polar bears was a way "to do good [for
the Zoo] while introducing friends to what's new at

the Zoo!'

Lions, Tigers, Bears

If polar bears aren't your thing, the flora and fauna
at the corner of Woodward and 1-696 in Royal Oak
provide a backdrop for just about any occasion

year-round.
Julie Wiemels, fundraising events manager at
the Zoo, says in addition to reserving specific
buildings — the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery with its
butterfly garden is hugely popular — individuals or
organizations may rent the entire Zoo property for

an event.
Also seeing its share of partygoers of all ages
is the new Ford Education Center. "It's a cool
building for a kid's birthday party," Wiemels says,
explaining that the facility houses a number of
themed interactive studios such as the Wet Place,
the Drippy Place and the Freezing Place.
As well, the Zoo offers a roster of Animal
Encounters. Special occasions have been marked
while eating breakfast with the giraffes or mingling
with the Marconi penguins.
"These programs allow guests to get up close to
the animals, they get to feed the penguins and
giraffes, and get to talk to an exhibit curator and
animal keeper," Wiemels says, before adding, "And
for the person who has everything, [the animal
encounters] make great gifts."

For

Little Girls

A mother's eyes. A father's hairline. Your mother-
in-law's entertaining finesse? Indeed, we inherit
more than DNA from family. To wit, Larry and Missy

Mark, Lois and Larry Shaevsky enjoy the food and the view.

Shaevsky of West Bloomfield earlier this year
held a birthday party for their 8-year-old daugh-
ter, Mallory, to which Larry's mother, Lois, gave a
hearty thumbs up.
Mallory and her best friends enjoyed an after-
noon of girl-time at Step Outside of the Box in
Clawson, which owner Cat Cahaney says is "totally
girly girl."
Specifically, birthday girls and their pals enjoy
an afternoon of hair beading, crafting, nail polish-
ing, playing games and dancing. And if they work
up an appetite, which they're sure to, Step Outside
of the Box serves up
such treats as cheesy
nachos, cotton candy
and a chocolate
fountain.
Cahaney says
parents are welcome
to bring in their own
pizza and such, "but

The Zoo created
an elegant setting
and served a truly
fine dinner.

we've got the junk food covered!'
And so, too, is the supervision. With a mini-
mum of 10 little girls indulging in all things little
girls love, keeping an eye out for the occasional
child party pitfall can overwhelm even the most
hawkeyed parent.
So Cahaney has enlisted the help of nine young
women — all juniors and seniors in high school
— to lead craft time and games and generally keep
the partygoers engaged.
"[The high school students] are all on the honor
roll, they're cheerleaders and dancers ... they're so
dynamic and bring so much to the younger girls,"
Cahaney says.

Location, Location on 54

celebrate: 2007

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