Gift for Life Block Party
Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 10/1/2000
The third annual Summertime Blues Block Party, hosted by Merchandise Mart Properties Inc. during the July Chicago Gift & Home Market, raised more than $10,000 for Gift for Life. Some 500 gift buyers and manufacturers attended the outdoor event, held on the evening of Sunday, July 30, on South Drive, the street fronting the main entrance of the Chicago Merchandise Mart. The Screaming Bluedogs performed live blues music while guests dined on tasting menu tidbits donated by Chicago restaurants including McCormick & Schmick's, The Shamrock Club, Rainforest Café, Rock Bottom, Kinzie Chophouse, Club Creole, and Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. "Since we began hosting the Block Party three years ago, we've witnessed a growing enthusiasm among our attendees," said Heather Francis, MMPI's director of marketing, in a statement. "This event has quickly become a favored attraction during the July market." Gift for Life is the gift industry's fundraising organization for AIDS research and education. For more on Gift for Life, see the 2000 Merchandising Achievement Awards coverage beginning on page 121.
