Most of you will be reading this after our 2014 Best Of Colonial Tee-Off party that was held on May 20 at the new Frost Park at Colonial. The theme of this year’s party was Caddyshack Chic and included a return of all of last year’s entertainment (why fix what isn’t broken?) including Four Day Weekend, the band Time Machine and Pete’s Dueling Pianos. With 20 of the area’s best restaurants serving up heavy appetizers and desserts throughout the evening along with cold beer provided by Rahr and Anheuser-Busch and other libations provided by our friends at Goody Goody Liquor, no one left hungry or thirsty.
This year's party fittingly benefited Fort Worth resident, TCU letterman and PGA touring pro J.J. Henry's Henry House Foundation. If you are familiar with the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, you are probably aware of the Henry House Hideaway skybox for kids, where the foundation gives hundreds of tournament tickets to local children's groups to allow kids to participate in the tournament experience. Started by J.J. and his wife, Lee, in 2006, the Henry House Foundation focuses on the health care and well-being of children.
Earlier this year, my friend Jamie Cashion made me aware of Briggs Berry, a 17-year-old from Granbury who has a rare, life-threatening condition that makes fighting infections extremely difficult. Briggs, who happens to be a great junior golfer, was going through chemotherapy at the time and was preparing for a bone marrow transplant. Jamie asked Briggs if he had ever played golf with anyone famous. When he said no, Jamie called me and asked me if I could facilitate an introduction with J.J.
Within 24 hours of my call to J.J., he and his Henry House Foundation had invited Briggs and his father on a two-night, all-expenses-paid trip to San Diego to play golf with J.J. at Torrey Pines and for Briggs to caddy for J.J. at the Farmers Insurance Open Pro-Am. Briggs also got to meet Tiger Woods, Rickie Fowler, Jason Dufner and Jordan Spieth, to name a few.
If J.J. ever decides to retire from the PGA tour, he may have a second career on the small screen. He showed some real talent promoting the Best Of party with me this year (pictured above). If you missed it, you can see it at fwtx.com/videos/best-2014-caddyshack-promo.
This year's Best Of issue celebrates the best that Fort Worth has to offer in categories ranging from services and shopping to nightlife and everything in between. While Kevin Borg, bartender at Fire Oak Grill, won for Best Mixologist, he may have a little competition from Fort Worth, Texas magazine after our creation of a new drink being served at Rio Mambo called the FW MAGarita. It's a frozen margarita in a schooner with a mini-bottle of dry champagne tipped upside down in the glass. It is the perfect combination of flavors.
If you haven't had the chance to experience everything on our Best Of list this year, step it up and support Fort Worth's best!
Hal A. Brown
owner/publisher
