Chicago Gateway Green Celebrates its 20th Green Tie Ball

Chicago Gateway Green is hosting its 20th annual Green Tie Ball Saturday, September 17 at A. Finkl & Sons (2011 N. Southport Ave., Chicago) to raise money towards greening and beautifying Chicago's expressways, gateways, and neighborhoods.

Ladies, pull out those ruby red slippers! This year's Green Tie Ball theme is ' A Return to Emerald City'. From 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., guests will be taken away to the land of Oz as they enjoy tasty dishes prepared by more than 50 Chicago top chefs and super premium open bars--even the Wicked Witch will be jealous! The Green Tie Ball also is featuring food trucks serving tasty fare, a silent auction, complimentary valet and multiple stages of entertainment, including a break dancing tin man, scarecrow and lion.

Paying tribute to expressway partners and sponsors, the Green Tie Ball will display past photos, films and flashes of bold name Chicagoans who have been influential in the success of past galas. The Green Tie Ball is co-chaired by Chicago Gateway Green board member and power-house, Timothy Smithe of Walter E. Smithe, and internationally renowned public speaker and TV personality, Stephanie Castagnier, of NBC's The Apprentice.

The Green Tie Ball is one of Chicago's most popular charitable events, drawing upwards of 2,000 people throughout the area. It's the party-of-all-parties leaving guests to say, "There's no place like the Green Tie Ball." Tickets are available for $125 per person and can be purchased at www.gatewaygreen.org. Tickets are $175 per person at the door, however, advance registration is strongly recommended. For $250 per person, guests can be taken somewhere over the rainbow, or rather, a VIP green carpet reception beginning at 6:30 p.m.--including special guest entertainment, a preview of the gala grounds, a chance to win a luxury vehicle lease for one year and a live auction featuring an emerald jewelry piece! To purchase tickets, please visit http://www.fanfueled.com/Event/Details/436-green-tie-ball-xix/

If the evening couldn't already be exciting enough, the Supreme Lobster Chef Challenge is featuring its final round of the Chicago Summer Chef Challenge Series at the Green Tie Ball! Attendees will automatically be entered into a raffle to win a pair of round trip tickets to Hawaii and a chance to judge to challenge-limited to the VIP attendees.

Sponsors include A. Finkl & Sons Co., CS Magazine, DiningChicago, Rockit Ranch Productions, Goose Island Beer Co., Supreme Lobster, Ruffino Wines, Nobilo Wines, Chicago Flower & Garden Show, Golub & Company, Walter E. Smithe, Absolute Production Services, Alper Services, LLC, Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse, Strategic Hotels & Resorts, NBC 5 Chicago and Kurman Communications.

To subscribe to the Green Tie Ball blog, please visit www.greentieballblog.com.

About Chicago Gateway Green
Dedicated to greening and beautifying Chicago's expressways, gateways and neighborhoods, Chicago Gateway Green was founded in 1986 to benefit the environment and improve the quality of life for millions of Chicagoland residents and annual visitors.

A 501c3 non-profit organization, Chicago Gateway Green makes an impact in the community with three key programs: Expressway Partnership, transforming city roadways into landscaped parkways; the International Sculpture Program, beautifying gateways through the installation of public, international art on expressways; and the Tree Partnership, a large-scale tree planting initiative that transforms unused land into green spaces. Chicago Gateway Green is a non-profit organization and has broad support across the region's business and civic community, and serves as a model for effective public-private partnerships. For more information visit www.gatewaygreen.org or call (312) 540-9930.