I think we all consider Memorial Day to be the unofficial start to summer. While most people are anxious for the long weekend to get together with friends or family — perhaps, even traveling to beach destinations — I always look forward to my annual Club Twenty-One Soirée.
It’s an annual dinner dance I attend with my husband, an attorney and member of the organization since 1995. Club Twenty-One’s origins date back to 1946, and the group made up of 21 African American men. The club started when educated men found themselves barred from local professional organizations and decided to form a social club to play cards, hold outings with their families and promote the Black presence in the community.
The men decided to adopt a name similar to a famous and highly-respected club in New York City. The name stems from the maximum number amount of members allowed at any given time. New members, invited to join when someone dies or resigns. Then is another person under consideration for membership.
Over the years, the close-knit group of men boasted of stellar names in medicine, law, education, government, and the military as members. These are men who broke barriers in their respective professions, set precedents, lent their financial and moral support to the struggle for equality for minorities in their local community.
The club selected gold and red as its colors and chose a keystone to symbolize its relationship to the community. The club’s first formal dance held in November 1946, at the Woodland Hotel in Susquehanna Township, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
In 1996, the Club Twenty-One celebrated its 50th anniversary with the annual black-tie gala along with special observances in the community. The golden anniversary celebration boasted of over 300 invitation-only guests.
This year, the Hargrove table was front and center, once again as the jazz saxophonist, Art Sherrod, Jr. and DJ Godfather provided the entertainment for the evening. It’s always a lively and fun time to share a night of elegance with our great friends. Our guests are all black-tie appropriate. The ladies, dressed to the nines, while the gents look handsome in their tuxedos or black suits.
I love that niece, who sometimes acts as my photographer, wore a shorter dark dress, rich with an embroidered texture. When in doubt, a black cocktail dress or gown is a preferred color for formal events. My bestie wore a shimmery silver gown, and I loved that, too.
For dinner, we had a four-course dinner menu which included a wild mushroom soup and a field greens salad with marinated tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese with a choice either sherry herb vinaigrette or Ranch dressing. Plus, for an as an entree, your choice of prime rib, pan seared Atlantic Salmon, Tuscan chicken, or grilled portobello Napolean. And, finally, for dessert, a chocolate bundt cake with white chocolate drizzled, served on a painted paint with whipped cream.
Do you have an annual soirée? Is it Black-tie? What’s your go-to outfit? Do you prefer a long gown? A short dress? Do tell in the comments section.
Thank you for reading. Have a fabulous week.
