Leave it to Jon Madison, the fun-loving personality behind Madison Square Garden & Café, to produce a fantastic event in behalf of downtrodden seals and sea lions.
Each year, in his efforts to help the only marine mammal rehabilitation center in Orange County (right here in Laguna Beach), Jon sponsors a fantastic party – Martini Madness. Now in its 5th year, this fast-growing event is one of Laguna’s most popular evenings as upwards of 200 guests are treated to lively music and delectable martini creations from guest host bartenders. Tickets are just $35; click to purchase online here.
It’s all done in the name of our dear, sick seals and sea lions, an appalling number of which have been finding their way to our beaches and rocky shores lately. This year, our early months saw an unbelievable number of patients waddling their way on shore, and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center (the PMMC) has been overrun with hundreds of patients who are sick, dehydrated and wounded.
“Last year, we rescued and rehabilitated about 125 seals and sea lions,” says Keith Matassa, PMMC’s Executive Director. “This year, we’ve already brought in 348 … and it’s only May.”
While marine biologists up and down the coast are trying to sort the reason for this vast exodus from the seas, the PMMC’s hospital operation in Laguna Canyon continues to take in as many as they can possibly handle, relying solely on public support and donations to help these lovely critters rest and recover. (The PMMC is a non-profit organization and 95% volunteer run by staffers and veternarians.)
Madison’s Martini Madness party is a great way to bring so many Laguna Beach locals and visitors together for this cause. With tickets just at $35, I would hope the entire lot of you readers out there will purchase a ticket, even if you live in Anchorage, Alaska. Click to purchase a Martini Madness ticket. The seals and sea lions thank you.
P.S. Be sure to visit the PMMC any day to see the rehab hospital do its amazing work. And, if you have an 8-12 year-old who’s looking for an amazingly different kind of summer camp, stay tuned for my upcoming blog entry on the sell-out phenomenon, Camp Pinniped!