After the usual lull in big benefits during the Easter Bunny`s reign, the pace of spring parties picks up, starting with the weekend of April 24.
On April 24 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Clearbrook Center, a Rolling Meadows not-for-profit agency that serves disabled children and adults, will host its third annual Shining Star Ball. Chicago Bears Jim Harbaugh and Jay Hilgenberg will attend the black-tie dinner dance.
Proceeds will go to Clearbrook Clinic, which offers counseling services for the agency`s clients and others. The event begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $300. Call 708-251-0933.
– When the Marwen Foundation hosts its annual mural-painting party on April 25 at the Chicago Avenue National Guard Armory, the mode of attire will be ”creative black-tie.” Artist Ed Paschke and other guests of the Paintbrush Ball are encouraged to wear comfortable, dressy clothes.
The foundation will provide plastic overgarments for those who help decorate the construction barricades for the new Museum of Contemporary Art, to be built where the armory now stands at 234 E. Chicago Ave.
The party, which starts at 7 p.m., will raise funds for the foundation, a not-for-profit group that offers free programs in art education, career development and college planning for Chicago youth. Tickets are $75. Call 312-944-2418.
– The third annual Bozo Ball, a carnival of a black-tie bash including dinner, the Grand Prize Game and dancing with Martha and the Vandellas, will raise money to help refurbish the Off the Street Club, which provides several hundred West Side youths with a safe place to play and study.
The party on April 25 at the Fairmont Hotel will begin at 7 p.m. with cocktails and carnival games, followed by the Grand March into dinner at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $250. Call 312-883-3412.
– Rain Forest Gold is the title of the 1992 Brookfield Zoo Whirl at the zoo on April 25. The event will take place in Tropic World and celebrate the golden lion tamarin, the bright tan-colored monkey that is on the brink of extinction.
Proceeds from the black-tie bash will go toward the construction of a hospital for the zoo`s 2,500 animals. Tickets are $200. Call 708-485-0263, extension 319.
Briefly: In the grand ballroom of Navy Pier on Wednesday, Dr. Lester Fisher will be honored for his 30 years of service at Lincoln Park Zoo. Fisher, who is stepping down as zoo director, will be saluted by a host of Chicago leaders at the black-tie event beginning at 6 p.m. Proceeds will go to the Lester E. Fisher Endowment, a conservation and education program. Tickets are $250. Call 312-935-6700.
– The L.U.C.I.L.E. Ball will take place on April 24 at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive. The party, hosted by Local Unknown Celebrities Improving Life for the Exceptional, will support the Chicago Special Olympics and will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45. Call 312-236-7004. – On April 25, the Hyde Park Art Center will present ”A Surreal Evening,” honoring longtime art center supporter Lindy Bergman. The party, featuring jugglers, mimes and live dance music, starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Ruth Horwich Gallery of the center at 1701 E. 53rd St. Tickets are $150. Call 312-324-5520.
Last call: Goodwill Industries of Metropolitan Chicago will present a benefit ”Monte Carlo Night” Friday at the Ritz Carlton. The event, which includes casino games and a raffle drawing, starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $75. Call 312-939-0040.
– On Friday at the Fairmont Hotel, comedian Aaron Freeman will help the Scholarship and Guidance Association celebrate its 80th annual spring benefit, ”Come to Our Cabaret.” Proceeds will help the not-for-profit social service agency provide counseling to troubled youths. The party starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $150. Call 312-663-0305.
– Also on Friday, the 98-year-old Art Resources in Teaching organization will present its ”A.R.T. at the Mart VIII” in the Merchandise Mart. The black-tie-preferred party begins at the Mart with a silent auction and Australian wine-tasting, followed by dinner and a live auction at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza, 350 N. Orleans St.
The benefit, which raises funds for art education in public schools, starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $125. Call 312-332-0355.
———-
Please don`t phone with ideas for this column. Send your suggestions, at least three weeks in advance, to Places to Be, Room 400, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611.
