Chester Francis-Jackson, Contributor

Richard and Carol Bourke assist their daughter, Samantha (centre), in cutting her birthday cake. Samantha celebrated her 16th birthday last Saturday at Eaton Hall in Runaway Bay.

My dears, is this the season to party or what? Well, pumpkins it is, and so parties there are a-plenty from Florida to Negril, and the beautiful people are just hamming it up like there's no tomorrow! And, sweet-things, why not, after all, when the going gets tough, the fab goes a-partying. And honeychiles, these are indeed tough times!

This is the summer of parties so fasten all seat belts, as it's shaping up to be a fabulous ride! My dears, it's definitely the Age of Cancer, and the cancerians are partying up one almighty fest!

Happy Birthday

Luvs, from the intimate do hotel mogul Gordon 'Butch' Stewart reportedly hosted at his Rio Chico beachfront estate, near Ocho Rios last weekend, to the oh-so-vamping to-do Dr Kim Brown threw in Negril to celebrate hubby Brent Ciurlino's 50th birthday bash, to the buzzing internationally flavoured hot number that Lloyd Jackson threw in Florida for his 50th.

Well, that was last weekend. And not to be outdone, this weekend is set to sizzle as well with the absolutely charming Luciana Muneri celebrating her birthday today, and she's making it a double celebration with long-time friend Peter Fraser on a weekend safari. And if the Fraser/Muneri weekend-long celebrations do not raise the social temperature, then expect the birthday celebrations of conglomateur Kenny Benjamin to do just that tonight.

Sweet 16

Happy birthday wishes, too, to the absolutely fabulous Sandra Shirley, who also celebrates her very special day today. And then there is tomorrow's wedding of head of the National Water Commission, E.G. Hunter and his fab fiancée, Nesta Palmer, to add to the celebrations! Richard and Carol Bourke hosted a buzzing party at their Runaway Bay home to celebrate their daughter Samantha's sweet 16 debutante's smasheroni. The word all around my dears, is that it was indeed a weekend of fab parties.

Now, y'all know, that there is nothing like a sweet 16 birthday party to signal the rite of passage from adolescence to young adulthood, especially for a young miss. It is indeed akin to a coming-out party and in this respect, it is regarded as the ultimate statement of that transition.

Dovecakes, it was hard to tell who was having the most fun; the parents and family friends who journeyed from all across the island, or the birthday girl and her cadre of friends, who came together and partied like budding celebs to the latest hit tunes from the danchehall and reggae genre, and to the rock or funk from the USA and Europe.

All-inclusive affair

Talk about an all-inclusive affair! Well this one was one big celebration for youngsters and their parents alike. From preteens to teeny-boppers, all sharing the very same party space and dance floor. This was much to the chagrin of the younger crowd, who would have much preferred their own party within the party, so they could all hang and be cool in the company of each other. But, without being obstreperous, the various age groups melted into one big party, and made it happen just like it should!

Siblings jigging with each other and their parents; teens showing each other the latest dance moves; young men wanting to appear aloof while preening for the lasses, with a radiant Samantha Bourke; the belle of the ball.

And in between the sips and spills, thrills and guilt-laden, rich birthday cake, Cardiff Hall was definitely cooking last Saturday night!

Hot-to-trot

Luvs, it was simply hot-to-trot. Among those out sharing in the celebrations were paternal grandparents Paul and Yvonne Bourke; maternal grandparents Baldwin and Shirley Pitter; Senator and Mrs. Sharon Sloley; Jamie Delgado and his fabulous wife Camille Delgado; Kevin and Cecile Levee and their daughters Kennedy and Spencer; Madeline Simonitsch; Dr and Mrs Lennox Francis; Boris and Sheila Smith; Lance and Mary Ann Parish and son Adrian; Scott and Tricia Robbins; the simply gorgeous Tabitha Athee; Jonathan and Janice Meany; Michael and Monica Danneker and daughter Michelle; Phillip and Patty Paxton and their offspring, Melissa and Brandon. There was also; the oh-so-gorgeous Jennifer Izzo and children Chelsie and Sebastian Campbell; Alexandra Thomas-Rhoden; Bipin Chandiram; Helen, Celeste and Alex Thwaites; Janet Wedderburn; Melissa Chung; John Miles; Dorain Williamson; Kim Munroe; Charmaine Beckford; Mustafa Collins; Sherell Rowe; Daine Goulabe; the stunning Simone Clarke; Clive and Nicky Edwards; Ricardo and Simone Ardito; plus a number of others.

From left: The in-crowd of Kimberly Munroe, Leilani Carby, Chelsie Campbell and Adrian Parrish. - photos by Denise Reid

From left, Scott Robbins and his wife Tricia, having a grand time with Clive and Nickie Edwards. - photos by Denise Reid