Laura Butler (left), Jennifer Stanigar (centre) and Julian Moore, give the candlesa great puff of air to declare it time to cut her birthday cake. The fabulous party was held at 11 Hillcrest Avenue, St. Andrew, on Saturday, June 23. - photos by Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

My dears, a general election is definitely in the air, and then some!

Luvs, y'all remember the prophecy? Well, if you do, and you all should, then y'all should be expecting the next parliamentary elections some time here in July, as not only is the writing on the wall, so to speak, but as is usually the case when a general election is imminent, the PNP overseas-based supporters fly in and set up shop as they await the sounding of the trumpet!

Well, my daahlings, one such prominent overseas-based supporter is the charming Sadie McBean, formerly of the famed Salon Capollini here in Kingston, but now a resident of Florida. She flew into Jamaica last week in anticipation of the event.

We caught up with the fab Ms. McBean last Saturday at the Kingston $5,000 per-plate political fund-raiser hosted by friends of Dr. Wykeham McNeill, at the corporate headquarters of the Guardsman Group. And, dears, the erudite and politically savvy Ms. McBean has declared she is here ahead of a wider contingent of overseas-based supporters of the PNP, who will descend on the island to help her party's on-the-ground machinery, whenever the election is called!

Busy schedule

And speaking of the Guardsman Group, my dears, its founder and principal, Kenny Benjamin, had one pretty busy and oh so hectic schedule last weekend, and then some.

Following upon the fund-raiser he hosted for his brother-in-law Dr. Wykeham McNeill, on Friday night, at his corporate headquarters, the political partying moved to his Stony Hill residence on Saturday night, where he played host to a fund-raiser hosted by friends of West Rural St. Andrew MP, the JLP's Andrew Gallimore.

And from the hurly-burly of political fund-raisers on Friday and Saturday, on Sunday, friends and consular colleagues, as well as a number of leading members of the diplomatic community of the security conglomateur, host par excellence, and the Honorary Consul of the Ukraine, hosted a swanky little musicale in his garden theatre, featuring Cuban singer, the sensational Xiomara, accompanied by guitarist Kotan. It was such a fab outing, people are still talking about it!

And, my dears, it's definitely the party season as the age of the Cancerians is upon us, and luvs, partying there will be and aplenty. Popular Canerians include the fabulous Louise Valle, wife of the recently retired Canadian High Commissioner to Jamaica, Claudio Valle, who will be celebrating her special day on Sunday, July1, which is also Canada's National Day!

On Monday the 2nd, however, it will be all about beauty and sometime television host, Dr. Saphire Longmore, as she celebrates her birthday. For those in the know, however, the party will be a pool-lyme and then some, tomorrow at the home of her beau, EU official Alex Dropinski.

Celebrated criminal defence attorney Tom Tavares-Finson will be in for a momentous celebration as his birthday will be next Saturday, the 7th, and as they say here, there will be hell to pay when the sevens clash!

The following day, however, it will be once again all about Kingston's leading host, as businessman Kenny Benjamin will be blowing out the candles on his birthday cake on Sunday the 8th, with an intimate gathering at his Stony Hill residence. The word is, however, all partying hell will break loose on the Friday preceding!

Now, on the 10th, talk-show host and attorney Patrick Bailey will take the party honours.

The 12th will see Transport Minister and MP Robert Pickersgill, in the thick of all things political, with time out, to celebrate his birthday with his long-time companion, the fabulous Fiona McNeill and family.

The 14th will see the French worldwide celebrating the storming of the Bastille and with it French Independence. It will also be thebirthday of celebrated hotelier, bon vivant and socialite Peter Fraser. And luvs, here the word is the celebrations will be restricted to immediate family and friends at a yet-to-be disclosed location, so more anon.

Now, joyous belated greetings to the fabulous Betty Ashley, who celebrated her birthday on Wednesday of this week; as well as to music legend and pioneer Byron Lee, who shares the same day! Belated birthday greetings also to insurance industry pioneering giant and A-crowd socialite, the Hon. Dennis Lalor, who celebrated his special day a week earlier!

Champagne toasts yo y'all, along with Beluga treats!

Party for three

( L - R ) Ford, McNeill and Longmore

And speaking of fabulous birthdays and parties, my dears, the absolutely beautiful and oh-so-lovely Laura Butler celebrated a milestone on Saturday last, and to mark the occasion, she teamed up with two equally beautiful friends to celebrate, and luvs, it was as charming as it was a marvellous outing!

My dears, some occasions are just worth celebrating more than others, and upon my word, sweet-things, this was one such event! Now, to begin with, this was all about the celebration of life.

And so it was that the lovely Laura Butler, of Invision Training Consultants Ltd., and the charmingly lovely Jennifer Stanigar of Spectrum Systems Ltd., and the beautiful Julian Moore - a recent graduate of Wharton - and friends all decided that each had a particular event or happening in their respective lives for which they would like to give thanks and celebrate.

In Ms. Butler's case, it was her milestone birthday; In Ms. Moore's case it was her graduation, and in Ms. Stanigar's case, it was her safe return from Colombia.

It was hosted by all three at the beautiful home of Jennifer Stanigar, over there on Hillcrest Avenue, in the famed golden triangle. The affair was a beautiful thing, and then some! We are talking an intimate do here, with a shortlist of guests - just over 100 - that included some of Kingston' fabbest personalities, and nothing but.

My daahlings, no drama here! It simply was not that kind of an outing! This was one decidedly fabulously relaxed gathering of the elegant and beautiful; the accomplished and the achievers; the well-to-do and the chic, sampling delicious finger foods and a combination of Laura's famous bread pudding with pecan and almond rum sauce, Susanne Grant's amazing lychee cake and a white chocolate and pear cheesecake from Guilt Trip, that proved a dietary challenge for all, as indeed, this was the kind of stuff from which waistlines and well-constructed bodies are tempted to go belly-up!

It was one charming outing with among the notables spotted included: Merrick and Camille Needham; Ali McNab; Kenneth and Judy Stanigar; Felice Zaccheo of the European Commission; José Tatis, general consul of the Dominican Republic; Donovan Maine; Pat and Suzette Tomlinson; Martin Armstrong, Andrea Benjamin, Roger Brown, Carina Cockburn, Michael Muirhead; Jason Hall and wife Nicky Plummer-Hall; Nikki Chuck, Tai Dacosta, Ravi and Samar Daswani, Alastair MacBeath; Zachary and Tamara Harding; Gail Moore; Patrick Stanigar; Mary Isaacs Black, Clay Moodie; Derrick Brant; Linda Delapenha; Dax and Cathy DeSousa; Claude Duncan; Michelle Nunez, Simon Fredricks; Peter Wilson and partner Nora Goodyear; Susanne Reid; Peter and Gloria Grant; Susanne and Samantha Grant; David Noel; Rudi and Carolyn Kirlew (Laura's sister and brother); Carlo (Amlak) Less and wife Luna LeClare; Viv Lue Tenn; Wayne and Sheree Martin; David Morrison; Raquel and Elaine Phillpots; Robert Richards; Mark Wilson; Maya Walrond, Alicia Wee Tom, and a number of others.

Jennifer Stanigar and Ali McNab shoot the breeze at their friend Laura Butler's party.