Columnist Elizabeth Foyt: Buchanan & Co. light it up for holidays

Elizabeth Foyt

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2000 | 9:25 a.m.

Elizabeth Foyt's social column appears Wednesdays. Reach her at elizabethfoyt@ prodigy.net.

New Year's Eve was a black-tie celebration much enjoyed by guests of James "Bucky" Buchanan and his sweetheart, Gianna Orlandi. Held at the Buchanan's home on the upper reaches of Sunrise Mountain, the party hosted by the two attorneys offered splendid vantages of our glittering city from nearly every room. Several hundred guests were guided to the private home by means of maps and huge spotlights which lit up the mountainside.

Completed just prior to the party, the new dance floor in the spacious great room proved popular with Garland Hahn, Andy and Trish Leavitt, Beverly Lewis with Dr. Neil Carmena, Dr. John and Adele Koot, Frank and Lynne Cremen and Trish Mortenson, attending with John Bastian.

Bucky, a former University Regent, included among his guests Regent Mark Alden, as well as Lynn Garlock, Bruce Banke, Michael and Rebecca Grabowski, Chris Waddell, Lori and Bob Wilson, Judge Bob Gaston and Doug Crawford. A lavish late-night dinner was served buffet-style and drew the interest of many who found the french pastries too tempting to pass up. Others fanned out across the spacious home to view the many mounted animals, all trophies from Bucky's hunts across North America and Africa. At the gathering were Gianna's parents, Rose and Gian Orlandi, visitors from New York City, as well as Bucky's elder son, J.J., a sophomore attending the University of Nevada-Reno.

Leaving a Legacy

Celebrating the season with a Christmas Eve gathering at his Legacy Golf Course home in Green Valley was Denny Weddle with his extended family. Enjoying all the bright lights and attention was baby Trevor James Weddle, son of Dana and Kathy. Giving little Trevor a generous dose of comfort and attention was new aunt Catie Weddle -- who now divides her time between Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla. Catie, as her father's hostess, had the pleasure of welcoming Santa to the party as he made a brief visit to hear her "wish list" for Christmas.

Co-hosting as well was elder son Denny II, who served libations to guests Troy and Kathy Caraway, Dennis and Joan Stein with daughter, Kim, Ronnie Brown and sons, Jim Marsh, Dianne and Tom Grasso, Shirley Figley and Dan and JoAnn Bradley. Attending as well were Charlette and Elliot Krane with their attorney, sons Jeff and Andy, both accompanied by their own young families.

Landers fete

As executives in the retail and resort industries, the Christmas season is no "holiday," and yet Thom and Mari Landers manage to annually prepare their home in grand and elaborate style, removing furnishings to allow for display space and creating snowy scenes to best frame the often life-sized characters. Starting each November the couple and their children, Libbyanne and Christopher, empty the storage units of the family's elaborate and ever-expanding collection of ornaments, decorations and electronic display figures. Their home becomes a fairyland, even as Thom, general manager of La Quinta Inns, and Mari, general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue, keep hectic schedules at work.

In tandem with the Landers are Mari's sister and brother-in-law, Deni and Steve Conrad, who co-host an annual holiday open house for close friends at the Landers' home. Equally busy, Deni heads H.E.L.P. of Southern Nevada while Steve is a leader in his field for Lawyers Title. Feeling privileged to be included in the party plans were Lou Gammage, Gary Mouden, Carla Steinforth, Art and Sara Besser, Jerry and Dollie Lord and Vicki Cichon. Welcomed as well were neighbors Susan and Charlie Gangi, Sharon and Leon Heaton, Ann and Bruce Evans and Pat and Jim Frank, as well as Dr. Patricia Craddock, the newly-installed president of the Nevada Dental Association.

Enjoying the gourmet dishes prepared by Thom Landers were Don and Daphne Campbell, Barbara and Steve Carlton, U.S. Sen. Richard and Bonnie Bryan, Ed and Sandra Milligan and Mari and Deni's parents, Jack and Evelyn Libby.

Musical feast

Glorious in sound and taste, the recent Happy Holidays luncheon presented by the Nevada Opera Theatre Guild was a musical feast from start to finish. Held in Emperors' Ballroom, atop the soaring tower of Caesars Palace, the Sunday event was well-attended by an elegant crowd of supporters, among them Cathy Allen and her young daughter, Debbie, Tom and Dianne Grasso, Persia Golden, May Muskin, Isabel Pfeifer, Bertha Cononelos, Betty Fulton and Elissa del Prado. Helen Stock, attending with daughter Elana Madsen, spoke of a recent family celebration for her husband Lincoln Stock's 82nd birthday. The Stocks hosted a dinner in the Eiffel Tower restaurant, followed by a delightful stay at Paris Las Vegas.

Opera patrons and their attending friends found a warm welcome from Jackie Allen, president-elect of the Nevada Opera Guild, and Tove Allen, luncheon chair and founder-president of the guild. Seen receiving holiday wishes were Andrea Thomas and her colleague, Joel Lazar, Leezie and Kadell Kremer, Arlene Dorweiler, Jack and M.J. Harvey, Phillip Maloof and Fran Sarno. Attending together were patrons Janice Tanno with Eleanore Doumani and Joanie Shoofey Richardson, as well as Dorothy and Donald Kemp, Sheila McKay, Elaine Fish with Marie Holland, Joseph and Lia Roberts, and Helen Walker with her young sons.

Generous sponsors arranging for tables for their families and friends included Peggy Polvino-Brown, Dr. Morton and Michelle Hyson, Sondra Lynch, Gail Martin, Elissa del Prado and Robert Clark, to name just a few. The afternoon included a superb meal enhanced by the exquisite performances of Nevada Opera Theatre artists Suzanne Farace, Roger Blaise, Timothy Leon, Catrina Compos, John Wennstrom and the Nevada Opera Theatre Chorus. A fashion showing coordinated by Toni Reiser of James Reva Designs gave a pleasing note to the afternoon as well. Also shown were designs from the collection of Alley and Juliana Collezione.

Making amends

Please forgive the error in last week's column which incorrectly identified the youngster making a cameo appearance on stage at the Riviera hotel-casino. Chris Staresinic, son of Riviera executive George Staresinic, did a masterful job with the stars of the "Colors of Christmas." The eight-year-old Chris showed great ease on stage and charmed the audience.