The night air was crisp and cool as more than 350 folks milled about The Rustic’s backyard one Saturday earlier this month. Men wore sport coats or ornate cowboy shirts with bolo ties. Women threw jean jackets over dresses. As DJ Brandon Williams spun a safe mix of classic hits, hundreds of cowboy boots crunched on gravel while their wearers sipped margaritas in frozen glasses. When a video of actress Farrah Fawcett began to play on the venue’s screens, the crowd hushed.
On October 20, celebrities and cowboy booted Dallasites gathered at the outdoor venue for the Farrah Fawcett Foundation’s Tex-Mex Fiesta benefit dinner. Founded in 2007 by the former Charlie’s Angels star after her anal cancer diagnosis, the Farrah Fawcett Foundation raises money to fund HPV-related cancer research, patient assistance, and more. The event at the Rustic was the foundation’s first time to host a party in Texas.
“Research paves the way for a cure,” the evening’s co-chair and Fawcett’s Charlie’s Angels co-star Jaclyn Smith told D Magazine.
The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) causes more than 90 percent of anal and cervical cancers, as well as the majority of penile, vaginal, and vulvar cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worldwide, the virus causes 5 percent of all cancer cases, Lawrence Piro, Fawcett’s oncologist and the foundation’s chief medical officer, told the 350-plus-person at The Rustic.
“It’s interesting that there’s a vaccine,” said Tim Quinn, advisory board member for the foundation and testicular cancer survivor. “I know that there’s a world of people scared of that word,” but the organization is about educating the public the benefits of the vaccine and helping to end HPV-related cancers.
“I hope that eventually we’ll stamp out this dreadful disease,” said Alana Stewart, president and CEO of FFF, event co-chair, and Fawcett’s longtime friend. “It may not happen in my lifetime, but I believe that if we all keep on working toward it is going to happen sooner rather than later.”
Long held in Los Angeles, the benefit made its way to Texas this year for the first time. It was only fitting, Stewart said. “Farah was a Texas girl, and people keep asking us why don’t we do something in Dallas?” Fawcett was born in Corpus Christi, Smith in Houston, and Stewart grew up in Nacogdoches and Houston. So, the organizers decided to come to Dallas. Proceeds from the night’s events will go to Stand Up To Cancer and the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, which opened its Dallas location last year.
Guests munched on queso, guacamole, and fajitas while imbibing plenty of margaritas from the bar. The Tex-Mex Fiesta was emceed by actor George Hamilton, who’s spent his time wise-cracking and flirting with the crowd. The presentation included speeches from Piro and others, and awards were handed out. Longtime Dallas actress Linda Gray received a standing ovation as she accepted the foundation’s Angel Award. “I am more than proud,” she told the crowd, while also describing her love for the city.
“I came from California, and I was embraced by Dallas,” she told D earlier in the evening on the red carpet.
Later in the evening, Hamilton opened the live auction, put on by Heritage Auctions.
“This is the part of the evening where we take all your money,” he joked. Guests held up glow sticks in the cool night air to place bids. Items included lithographs printed by Fawcett herself, hotel stays in Los Angeles and Cabo, and a custom Mark Zunino dress—modeled Vanna White-style by Stewart and Smith. Bidding went crazy for a bronze statue sculpted by Fawcett, which sold for $20,000 after starting at $7,500.
Another high-ticket item included lunch with George Hamilton and a night at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. Hamilton egged on bidders from his seat in the audience, joking about a night stay in his hotel room. The package sold for $11,000. After the live auction closed, auctioneers wandered the crowd, asking for $5,000, $2,500, $1,000, and $500 donations.
Finally, the night’s presentation ended with a performance from nine-time Grammy award-winner Sheryl Crow, who herself is 17 years cancer free.
“For me, [it’s] quite a wonderful medal I wear around my heart,” she told the crowd. Crow, after bantering with Hamilton—who claimed he was falling in love again, sang a short set of some of her greatest hits and music from her new documentary, Sheryl. The audience swayed and sang along as she crooned “If It Makes You Happy,” “Everyday Is a Winding Road,” and “Soak Up the Sun” while strumming her guitar. After her set, the evening ended with dancing.
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