Plaza Health Foods is 60 years old, and third-generation owner Max Fuqua will host morning and evening parties a week from today. Click here to read about the Snider Plaza landmark’s special anniversary and the people behind it.  

7th Annual Masquerade Ball

Ready for some early Halloween allure? Dress to impress — but come in disguise — Saturday at the House of Blues, where a private masquerade ball benefits the Delores A. Hudson Foundation, and identities stay a secret until the dancing and mingling ends.

Seating is limited to 300 people, says event organizer Jacqueline McAllister.

“This is going to be a little more upscale than other Halloween parties,” she said. “It’s going to be more like [Brazil’s] Carnival, or Eyes Wide Shut, and you’ll be able to reveal who you are at the end of the night.”

Drinks will be reasonably priced, McAllister added, and your first cocktail is free. For tickets, visit lynxxusa.com.

‘Christmas at The White House’

You may know hometown girl Jennifer Boswell Pickens — the Christmas at The White House author is a graduate of Hockaday and SMU, and her locally published coffee-table book is the product of meetings with the wives, children, and staff of presidents Kennedy through George W. Bush, with photos and anecdotes to give you a peek at each first lady’s holiday décor and celebration style.

“It’s a beautiful book,” says Write Selection employee Jennifer Welden. “And it’s going to be in local stores, if anywhere; you won’t find it anywhere else.”

Drop by Write Selection from 9 to 11 a.m. or 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, and you can meet Pickens, get a signed copy, and — depending on the hour — have coffee and pastries or wine and cheese as you take in the stationery store’s new Christmas collection.

“We’ll be completely decorated for the book signing, and we’re going to do a huge children’s section this year,” Welden said.

Pickens may even bring her collection of White House Christmas cards, Welden said. (Fellow archive nerds, I’ll race you there.)

For more information, visit writeselection.net or call 214-750-0531.

Scardello Cheese Turns 1

Savory wonderland Scardello Artisan Cheese is a year old — can you believe it? — and to celebrate, owners Karen and Rich Rogers are throwing open the doors of the Oak Lawn shop from 5 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 30.

Come mingle with other cheese hounds that evening, and see if you can resist the spread — Scardello is known for having more than 100 cut-to-order cheeses, specialty foods, and more — and event spokeswoman Shelby Sabin tells me they’ll have gourmet bites, wine, and champagne at the party ($1 for the first glass, and $5 a pop afterward).

Plus, Party Picks readers get the scoop that Rich will have a drawing for a $50 gift certificate. For more information about Scardello, call 214-219-1300 or visit scardellocheese.com.

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