A crowd of Round Top’s best and brightest gathered at The Halles this past weekend at a private party to kick back and kick off the Spring 2024 Antiques + Design Show.

About 200 guests were welcomed into The Halles main pavilion where Ryan Snipes & Dynamite Eldorado performed a blistering set of blues and rock for the event sponsored by Martha Turner | Sotheby’s International Realty Country Properties Group

Long lines formed at the bar, which featured cocktails made with fresh pressed juices by event sponsor Sage Roots Cocktail Company. Bryan, Texas-based Sage Roots offered three custom cocktails created just for the party. Each drink could be spiked with a choice of vodka or tequila. The concoctions could also be made sans spirits. 

The PaperCity Smash was made with fresh watermelon, smashed red bell pepper, fresh pressed lime, agave and muddled mint. The Going Green cocktail was made with pressed cucumber, fresh pressed lime, agave, muddled basil and Tajín. The Round Top Paloma, created with Ruby Red grapefruit, pressed lemon, agave and black lava salt rounded out the specialty drink menu.

The Halles’ own in-house restauranteur Country Sunshine dazzled guests with a grazing table fit for the gods. Generous offerings of salumi, cheeses, pickles, jams, fruit and flatbreads were picked clean by the end of the evening. 

Country Sunshine also provided endless trays of Bruschetta with crostini, ricotta, cherry tomato, white balsamic vinegar and basil. Their famous deviled eggs with bacon jam, wax pepper, habanero and chive flew off the trays, as did slices of their locally worshipped pizzas. All was served alongside heaping wooden bowls of fresh Caesar and mixed green salads. 

Custom cake pops by Claire’s Confections ensured that everyone ended the night on a sweet note.

After lots of socializing, a bit of networking and lots of grazing and imbibing, the crowd slowly thinned as guests left to prepare for an early morning of antiques show business. Round Top seen: 

Linda Plant, John David Robbins, Bryan Beene, Lauren Wills Grover of Wills Design Associates, Jamie Lee Manning, Susannah Mikulin, Lindsey Pleasant of HOSTIE, Denise Jacobs, Paige Hull of The Vintage Round Top, Kait Kirby of The Monarch, Meghan Horne of Susan Horne Antiques, Heather Goldman of Heather Benjamin Jewelry, Curtis Ann Davis of The Arbors, Joan and Jerry Herring of Red & White Gallery, Richard and Janet Schmidt of Richard Schmidt Jewelry. of Jason and Christa Butler of Preservation Co. Paloma Pinedo of Cisco Village, artist Megan Hurdle.