The Talk of the Town | Annual Benefit Celebration
Saturday, May 9, 2026
VIP Hour: 5:30–6:30 PM
Main Event: 6:30–10 PM
Walk into the Athenaeum’s Talk of the Town, Annual Benefit Celebration.
Walk into the Athenaeum’s Talk of the Town, Annual Benefit Celebration.
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, walk into the Athenaeum’s Talk of the Town: Casablanca, Annual Benefit Celebration.
Ever dreamed of partying in the glitz and glamour of 1930s Hollywood? After the rousing success of our first Talk of the Town set in the 1920s, we hope you will join us as we celebrate the next decade of Athenaeum history with Old Hollywood sizzle and style.
We invite you to a free open house the day following the Annual Benefit Celebration. There will be coffee and pastries upon opening at 10 AM, an 11 AM tour of the Athenaeum with Librarian Kathi Bower Peterson, a 2 PM artists’ books presentation by Carol Buckley in the Elliott North Reading Room, and a 3:30 PM concert with vocalist Elizabeth Marcano, accompanied on piano by Kathi Bower Peterson, performing popular 1920s songs from sheet music in the Athenaeum collection.
Join us as we toast the town in our version of the exuberant art scene of the 1920s! Kick up your heels with pizzaz to celebrate the Athenaeum’s past and bright future at our historic 1921 William Templeton Johnson building in downtown La Jolla.