Pedaling Toward a Cure

ABOVE: Since 1994, Lantz and Laura Welch have called this modern-day castle home. With

three bedrooms and 18,000 square feet, the castle is the perfect place for

the Welchs’ charitable soirées. BOTTOM: Guests arrived at the Welch castle to enjoy

delicious food, sip spectacular drinks and share their love and support for the Medical

Missions Foundation (left). Among the mouth-watering food provided by co-host Nicole

Wang and caterer Kurt Oenning was a beautiful display of vodka-marinated gravlax.

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revelry

pedaling toward a cureFor two days this past September, Bill Gautreaux and Team Spin

Inergy rode 109 miles enduring tough hills and torrential rain in

the MS Society Bike Tour for multiple sclerosis. The weekend before,

they gathered with close friends and colleagues at the home he

shares with his wife, Christy, and their children for the kickoff and

eighth annual MS Society Charity Bash.

The house, built in 1914, was once the home of T.J. Pendergast––a political “boss”

of the city in the 1930s and 40s. Along with 49 other homes, the Gautreaux residence is

part of the the Simpson-Yeomans/Country Side Historic District, which represents one

of the last surviving restricted residential quarters remaining in Kansas City. The homes

display an interest in the Period Revival style considered fashionable in their time and

offer evidence of a veritable microcosm of architectural design and stylistic preference that

held sway in Kansas City between 1908 and 1926.

Now in its eighth year, the MS Society Bash invites guests back with something new

to look forward to, thanks to Cheryl Ronald––an ardent activist for MS. This year, she

designed the invitations and selected the décor, including bouquets of sapphire blue orchids

and mango calla lilies arranged in custom, tiered miniature metal bike centerpieces.

She also collaborated with Jeff Addison of Cool Carvings (13004 Seventh St., Grandview),

who sculpted a full-service bar made entirely of ice. Weighing 1,925 pounds and measuring

7 feet long, the bar froze together bike gears, wheel sets, chain rings and other components

that Cheryl scoured from local bike shops (left). Special clips held the accessories in place in

the water as the ice froze over a period of four days. LED lighting in shades of orange and

Tiffany Blue, taken from the MS logo, illuminated the ice. Whimsical blue martini glasses

hung by orange threads above and around the bar (second spread, right), which not only

added interesting décor but saved space on and behind the ice bar.

A small plate menu designed around proteins featured turkey breasts glazed with an orange

marmalade and jalapeño glaze, teriyaki grilled beef tenderloin and roasted pork carved tableside.

homeowners Bill and Christy Gautreaux caterer lon lane’s inspired oCCasions

story by kerry pitt-hartphotos by kenny johnson

115Life’s better in KC


After crafting a beautiful dinner plate, Lon Lane of Inspired Occasions (6306 Morningside

Drive) and his staff picked up on the caramel and Fleur de Sel trend to create a dessert bar

featuring decadent chocolate brownies (top right), caramel ice cream, chocolate popcorn

and cappuccino punch.

Darryl Lee Rush and his band flew from Dallas the day of the event. Rush has known

the Gautreaux family for 10 years and played at the first Bike MS Kickoff Party eight years

ago. It’s become a tradition they look forward to every September, and as Rush says, “is

one of the most important things we do.” One of the highlights for him that evening was

when Bill and Christy (first spread, bottom left) came up and sang along with the band to

a cover of Ryan Adam’s “Oh My Sweet Carolina.”

Another element that keeps guests returning—especially those who love art––is the

family’s private art collection. Bill and Christy started buying their first original works about

15 years ago. The collection is exciting and eclectic with many sought-after artists whose

pieces are featured in museums around the world. Several photographers’ works grace the

walls, such as photos from Hendrik Kerstens, Stephane Couturier and the Starn twins.

Most important is a smaller work by the American watercolor painter Charles Burchfield

and many other large works from the contemporary artists such as Nick Cave, David

Bates, Mickalene Thomas and Leonardo Drew, to name a few. Also on view that night

was Yinka Shonibare’s multimedia sculpture “Child on Unicycle.” This headless figure is

dressed in wax-printed African textiles, and was situated near the food to give every guest

the opportunity to admire the unique artwork (first spread, left).

This year’s fundraising efforts went down in the record books. All donors who met or

exceeded their prior years’ contributions were matched, making Team Spin Inergy the No.

1 fundraising team regionally. The money will go toward research to find a cure for MS

and toward medications designed to manage the autoimmune disease. According to The

National MS Society, approximately 400,000 Americans have MS, and every week about

200 people are diagnosed.

Although symptoms vary from person to person, Dan Deblasio, who was officially

diagnosed a month before his 28th birthday, was left with major and most likely permanent

damage to the left side of his brain leaving his right leg paralyzed and right eye functionally

blind. The greatest challenge for him has been coming to terms with the increased amount

of time it now takes to do the simplest things, “like buttoning my shirt or tying my shoes

or moving from one end of the house to the other. None of these things take me what I

would call an exorbitant amount of time but, if it used to take me five seconds to button

my shirt, it might now take me twice as long,” he says. “Doesn’t sound like much of a big

deal, but these things amount to interruptions in the quotidian rhythm of the mundane

that can sometimes ruin my day.”

Bill and his team of 60 riders trained for months leading up to the ride and passed the finish

line raising $276,896.16, in an effort to help those like Deblasio and an estimated 2.5 million

people worldwide keep doing what they love: fly fishing, rock climbing, hiking––moving.

In large part because of the efforts of Team Spin Inergy, The National MS Society and

fundraising events held all across the nation, there have been several major medications

developed and brought to market. When Deblasio was diagnosed in 1998, there were

only three disease-modifying medications available to slow progression, all of which came

only in injectable form. Now, Deblasio says, “There are several others and a new oral

medication that seems to be just as effective as the injectables. There also is excitement in

the MS community about the promise of stem cell therapies that may lead to reversal of

damage once considered permanent, but it still seems a cure is a long way off.”

For further details on how you might get involved in the MS movement, visit

nationalmssociety.org. n

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Lon Lane’s Inspired Occasions

provided a beautiful spread, including an early fall grain salad

and decadant chocolate brownies. The Gautreauxs took

advantage of their spacious, scenic backyard by seating their

guests at tables covered with vibrant orange tablecloths and

jamming to the tunes from Darryl Lee Rush and band. Guests

could also untie their own martini glass from the beautiful

display when they were ready for a libation.

116 KC MAGAZINE | KCMAG.CoM


throw an outdoor party to remember1. Centerpieces for the outside tables need substantial bases so they don’t blow over.

2. Have a tent in place or room inside to provide shelter for guests in case there is a storm.

3. Set up the bar away from food areas because guests tend to gather around the bar.

4. Candles add elegance to your affair, but with KC’s famous wind make sure they are placed in holders that are taller than the candle.

5. Let your guests know beforehand that it will be an outdoor event so ladies don’t show up in 4-inch heels. Wet grass and spiky heels don’t mix.

117Life’s better in KC


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Pedaling Toward a Cure