No Screw-top Here: Christie's brings the good stuff to night honoring campaign supporters

An evening of wine and dine ― more of the former than the latter ― celebrated the major donors to the Cox Science Center and Aquarium 's ongoing capital campaign.

The event took place April 29 and was underwritten by Christie's in celebration of the progress of the "Elevating Science Education" campaign, which has raised $100 million of its $122 million goal .

More Palm Beach society news here .

The night began with signature cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, music by the Palm Beach Symphony, dinner al fresco, and a separate presentation under a clear tent of sophisticated wine pairings served up by Christie's wine experts.

Kate Arrizza , president and CEO of the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, spoke briefly.

“I want to thank all of you here tonight for getting us to this point,” Arrizza said. “Your support has been astonishing, and we would not be able to break ground later this week without you. Everyone here tonight is a friend and supporter of the Science Center, and you truly see the value in what we do here.”

Groundbreaking on the project took place a few days later.

The planned expansion of new and renovated spaces will increase the center's capacity to nearly one million guests annually. This includes a new science building visible from Interstate 95, a doubling of the present campus, new outdoor spaces, and increasing the aquarium size from 10,000 gallons to 130,000 gallons.

The center will remain open to the public throughout construction.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: No Screw-top Here: Christie's brings the good stuff to night honoring campaign supporters