WILLISTOWN: A night out and an online auction

On Friday night I went to a splendid fundraiser for the local chapter of a national healthcare nonprofit that was held at the Radnor Hunt Club in Willistown.
I got to catch up with lots of friends and neighbors. I asked one friend what he is doing now that he has retired and found out that he has an unusual hobby: he creates those fiendishly difficult cryptic word puzzles. Who knew!
During the social hour I spotted one Kennett Square woman I particularly wanted to talk to, but being a popular, well-informed and delightful person she was constantly engaged in conversation, and unfortunately she slipped out right after dinner. "They should have stopped her at the door!" said another dismayed friend who was also looking for her.
The buffet dinner was wonderful: tomatoes with mozzarella and basil; hummus; couscous; chicken salad; pasta; and seafood risotto, with a lavish coffee bar and desserts afterward (including fancy chocolates from Éclat in West Chester). The servers and bartenders were pleasant and efficient, and the Radnor Hunt setting was charming, with all kinds of foxhunting memorabilia and prints and decades' worth of photos of Meets and former Masters.
As is routine as these galas, there was a silent auction, but this time with a twist that was a first for me: you entered your bids via your cellphone rather than on a piece of paper on a clipboard. (They had helpers to place your bids if you didn't have a phone.) While the president and CEO was giving her opening remarks, she was keeping an eye on her phone and made a point of publicly increasing her bids over her rivals a few times. One of my dinner companions had donated a selection of wines to the auction and had fun keeping track of how high the bidding was going.
I entered a raffle for, but did not win, a fabulous display of orchids in full, glorious bloom. I'm not sure I would have had room in my house for it, but they had a wonderful raffle salesperson, a charming high-school girl who came up to me and asked sweetly, "Do you like orchids?" Really, who is going to say no!
The highest seller of the night was a week's vacation at a five-star resort in Costa Rica, which sold for $4,500. The man who bought the trip at last year's auction gave it a glowing review before the bidding started, which may well have driven up the price.
Two VIP tickets to Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" in New York went for $3,300.