Brooke de la Villanova: High Society

Well, krumpets, fall party season has proven to be just as manic as I had forecast. One of our fave events was the annual Breast Health Institute Gala at the Penn’s Landing Hyatt, chaired with typical aplomb by Dan and Sarah Keating. This year’s honoree was the heroic sportscaster Gary Papa, and proceeds went to both breast and prostate cancer research. The decor was vintage Brian Kappra of Evantine Design, who draped the ballroom in plum, with white and cream accents. (I, for one, thought the black candelabra were a bit Addams Family, though they did cast a nice glow.) And in a world where charity auctions have become a tad banal, the two-week trip to China was a smash. Joan and Bernard Spain walked away with that little goodie for $13,800. …

Is there an ill wind blowing through Rittenhouse Square? Reports of graffiti, broken benches and empty urns going unaddressed have resulted in a rather unpleasant whispering campaign against Friends of the Rittenhouse president Wendy Rosen and her powerful hubby, the lawyer Paul. The mud being slung fast and furiously even includes charges the Rosens ­sometimes—gasp—fail to scoop up their dog’s poop. Quelle horreur! …

We were just getting over our many sightings of cycling hunk Lance Armstrong (we stood behind him at the Radnor Starbucks) this summer during his wooing of fashionista Tory Burch when the actor Mark Wahlberg began popping up on the area’s better golf courses. Edgar was desperate to invite him into his foursome at Merion. Alas, the star was too busy working on The Happening, yet another M. Night Shyamalan film I won’t be able to make sense of. That’s show biz. …