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SC: Hundreds celebrate Martha Reeves at birthday party

Chuck Bennett

Hundreds celebrate Martha Reeves at birthday party

The legendary Martha Reeves celebrated her 75th birthday with an old-fashioned, low-down birthday party Monday night at Bert’s Warehouse Theatre. Dressed in a gold and black strapless sequined cocktail dress, the Motown diva stood on stage at the mic, singing, dancing and giving personal shout-outs to the several hundred guests comprised of family, friends and fans.

One of her adoring fans, entertainment attorney Howard Hertz, said he will never forget this night. “I got a chance to sing and dance on stage with one of my all-time favorite musicians,” he said. Howard and Martha reminisced about when he was 8-years-old and rode his bicycle to the Fox Theatre to see Martha and the Vandellas perform “Jimmy Mack” for the first time.

A number of Metro Detroit dignitaries came out to celebrate Martha, including her sisters and Vandellas — Lois and Delphine Reeves, Abdul Duke Fakir from The Four Tops, David Winans II, blues diva Thornetta Davis, chanteuse Lady Champagne, and Spinners keyboardist Keith Ferguson. Tickets to the bash started at $15, there was a cash bar, and many guests ordered hearty meals from Bert’s popular soul food menu.

The Detroit City Council presented Martha with three awards, and she also announced the summer launch of her image consulting company, Street Dance Inc.

Happy birthday, Martha Reeves!

Enjoy a ‘Classic Shore Dinner’ party

It’s boat race time and in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Gold Cup Race in Detroit, UAW-GM Spirit of Detroit Hydrofest will present a “Classic Shore Dinner” race preview party. The event takes place on Aug. 25 at the Roostertail, the best view of the race course. Guests will enjoy an array of seafood delights prepared by several top local restaurants, including the London Chop House, Wolfgang Puck and Andiamo. In addition to the strolling supper, the evening also features a meet-and-greet with the hydroplane owners and drivers, as well as a private pit tour. Tickets to the party, which benefits March of Dimes, are $75. Visit detroitboatraces.com for complete details.

Art lovers get inside look at Dresner-Levy home

Linda Dresner and Ed Levy’s contemporary Birmingham abode has been described as looking like everything from a modern minimalist museum to a fancy hard-core women’s prison. Since it was raised in controversy some five years ago, surely everyone who has seen the outside has been dying for a peek inside. On Wednesday evening, 40 guests were given that opportunity when Linda and Ed participated in the third annual Interchange Art + Dinner Series benefiting the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design.

For this collection of chic soirees, Detroit’s most avid art collectors and supporters open their homes and spaces for a range of exclusive evenings combing food, drink and art. Dresner and Levy graciously hosted guests, who paid $500 each in support of MOCAD, at the modernist concrete structure that they call home. The diverse, fashionable crowd enjoyed cocktails and dinner that included roasted salmon, lamb chops, Mexican corn and caprese salads.

“This house is magnificent, the art is magnificent,” commented Salvador Salort-Pons, director of Detroit Institute of Arts, who attended the event. “We’re lucky to have people like this in our community, who so strongly support the arts and places like DIA and MOCAD.”

Chuck Bennett is the creator of TheSocialMetro.com and is the Fox 2 News Style Ambassador.