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	Newport. The Riviera? No. Just a fabulous Lake Forest home overlooking Lake Michigan where a crowd of 470 guests gathered June 8th for a beautiful evening to support the Gorton Community Center. The Oscar-night atmosphere was everywhere in evidence. Titled "An Affair to Remember," the party came complete with saucy Joan Rivers impersonator, Ellie Weingardt, greeting ladies in ball gowns and men in tuxedos as they traversed the lengthy red carpet leading up to the front door. There was even a flurry of pretend paparazzi, wearing fedoras, who buzzed around and snapped photos.

Joan Rivers (aka actress Ellie Weingardt) interviews arriving guests as the paparazzi snap photos at the Friends of Gorton benefit in Lake Forest, Illinois.

PIONEER PRESS By Dorothy Andries
The wait staff circulated with hors d'oeuvres trays decorated with small Oscar statuettes, and a gleaming. nine-foot Oscar decorated the bandstand where Bradley Young's Voyager, conducted by Rob Curtis, played music for dancing. The evening raised $125,000 for Gorton Community Center. This event, called a "Small Dance for a Big Cause," was established in 1973. Proceeds make it possible for Gorton to keep rental and user fees affordable for the myriad of non-profit organizations which present programs or are located in the community center on Illinois Road in Lake Forest. Gorton offers a variety of fine arts, performing arts, cultural, educational, recreational and social service programs. In the past 11 years, the Friends of Gorton have donated more than $1.3 million, funding about one-third of the center's annual operating budget.

Dorothy Andries poses with Ellie (Joan Rivers) at the Gorton Community Center benefit.

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