Photo by Alyse Horn
Maria DeSimone Prascak of Maria’s Ideas doing a live painting for the events silent auction.

By Alyse Horn

Guests at the National Aviary’s annual fundraiser Night in the Topics were taken on a World Tour on Saturday, July 8 with birds, performances and food from around the globe.

The event, which has been held for the past 15 years to raise money that supports education, avian medicine, and conservation programs, garnered $240,000 for the Aviary. During the evening there was a large live painting by Maria DeSimone Prascak held at the event entrance and was part of the silent auction. The original work of art was bought with a final bid of $1,000 that contributed to the support of the Aviary’s programs.

There were more than 30 restaurants in attendance and guests were encouraged to vote for their favorite bite of the evening, with the winner being Ten Penny, 960 Penn Ave.

A wide range of birds were on display throughout the Aviary and guests were able to walk about the exhibits. The stars of the show during the event were the newly hatched flamingo chicks. The Aviary began the evening with four chicks, but gained a fifth by the end of the event when a chick decided to hatch later in the evening. Guests were able to watch it hatch, and one viewer said that it reminded him of the scene in the movie “Jurassic Park” when the raptors are hatching in the beginning of the film.

Click here for information on the Aviary’s flamingo encounters.

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