The birthday duo: Mary Vargo, a retired biochemist, and her husband, Tracy Vargo, a principal at real estate development company Stonebridge, live in Potomac. The pair met in Pennsylvania, where they grew up, and moved here together in 1986. Their 60th birthdays were in June 2023.
The best friend: Dale Glass, 62, is a retired science teacher currently holding a long-term substitute position. (When this gig ends, she says she’s going back into retirement.) Dale moved to Potomac from Dallas, but like the Vargos, she grew up in Pennsylvania—though they didn’t cross paths till much later, when their kids brought them together. Dale’s daughter, Emma, and the Vargos’ son, Andrew, started dating in ninth grade. On the 10-year anniversary of their first date, Emma and Andrew became engaged—then married two years ago. “We’re co-mother-in-laws turned best friends,” Dale says.
The party planning: It was only natural for Dale to throw Mary and Tracy their milestone birthday celebration, and she knew just who to call to help her pull it off: Janice Carnevale, owner of Bellwether Events, with whom Dale had worked when her older daughter, Lelia, got married (at the Vargos’ house, no less). Mary had also relied on Bellwether Events when she threw Dale’s 60th birthday party. While Mary and Tracy’s fete wasn’t a surprise, Dale did hope the duo would show up and “be delighted by how fun it was.” She also wanted fireworks and to have Citizen Cope perform. With Carnevale’s help, she settled on the Dockmaster Building, an indoor/outdoor venue on District Pier at the Wharf in Washington, D.C. Fireworks can be set off from a barge in the water. As for Citizen Cope? The singer-songwriter—and former D.C. resident—is Tracy’s favorite. The performer was available only on June 2 last summer, and so the date was set.
The day-of: To make things easy, Mary and Tracy and their family (including kids Kate, Patrick and Andrew) stayed at the InterContinental Washington, D.C.—The Wharf, just steps from where the soiree would take place. (Dale stayed there, too.) “We spent the day in the pool, then walked over to the party, and went back at the end of the night,” Mary says.
The theme: The waterfront location begged for a coastal beach theme. “I wanted it to look like an upscale dockside bar,” Dale says. A marquee sign on the pier reading “Life’s a Beach When You’re 60” set the casual, laid-back vibe for the 60 guests in attendance. Inside, Carnevale and her team had gone all out. Antique oyster cans filled with sea glass-toned florals (delphinium, campanulas, hydrangeas, sweet peas, snapdragons and others) served as centerpieces on the mix of tables. Various lounge areas (complete with beachy rattan furnishings) were staged inside and out, so guests could gather to chat, relax and nosh.
The menu: The abundant food options by Susan Gage Caterers made a splash. A raw bar was set up in a rowboat and featured oysters shucked to order, among other seafood. Passed appetizers included mini-Reuben sandwiches (Tracy admits to loving these), grilled peach crostini, salmon brochettes, caprese skewers and a rendition of fish and chips served on potato chips. Dinner was buffet style, with lobster rolls (Mary’s favorite), lamb chops, halibut, a leek-and-shallot galette, tomato risotto, baby lettuce salad, asparagus and roasted-onion milk bread. Desserts included a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and edible white chocolate seashells. And the specialty cocktails? A Dark and Stormy and Strawberry Basil Margarita were among the drinks guests could indulge in at the outdoor open bar, which was outfitted with chunks of coral, decorative rope knots and vintage glassware in greens and blues.
The concert and fireworks: Citizen Cope played both upbeat and mellow tunes for about an hour. “Mary, Tracy, Kate, Patrick and Andrew looked so thrilled and happy,” Dale recalls. “Tracy kept putting his arm around Kate, and they were singing together.” Following the set, Citizen Cope stayed to mingle with guests and take photos. “I think people liked that because they felt he wasn’t just showing up to perform, and integrated into the event a little bit,” Dale says. He even watched the fireworks—a highlight for Mary. “The night was so nice, and the fireworks went on for a long time,” she says. “It was perfect.” But the event didn’t end there: Instead, it kept going with music from a DJ, dancing, late-night snacks and cute seashell-shaped cookies Dale found on Etsy for guests to take home.
The picture-perfect memory: Perhaps the most sentimental moment came when the Vargos managed to wrangle their immediate family together for a photo on the dock. They also pulled off snaps with Dale and the kids’ significant others—no easy feat to get everyone looking at the camera, eyes open and smiling. “We took one big picture together,” Mary says, “and it all worked out.”
Vendors: Audiovisuals, Capitol Media Systems; catering and dining rentals, Susan Gage Caterers; DJ, DJ Flow from Zandi Entertainment; fireworks: Pyrotecnico; florals, LynnVale Studios; invitations, Paperless Post; large furniture rentals and colored glassware, Something Vintage Rentals; performer, Citizen Cope; photography, Stephen Bobb; planner and designer, Janice Carnevale of Bellwether Events; tabletop decor pieces, White Glove Rentals; transportation, RMA Limo
This story appears in the May/June edition of Bethesda Magazine.