Fly Me to the Moon

Groupies come in all shapes and sizes. There’s the I-haven’t-eaten-since-the-´80s-so-that-I-can-still-stuff-myself-into-my-acid-washed-jeans type; they want desperately to become lip-locked with rock idols. Professional athletes also get the star treatment: Sports groupies are usually girls who were in Flag Team in high school but then got really hot later in college. For them, nailing a tight end before their pom poms start sagging is the ultimate in validation. And then, there are the astronaut groupies.

This subculture is easy to spot: We usually have bumper stickers with clever sayings like “Astronauts Do it in Zero Gravity” or “Your Moon Rock or Mine?” We shamelessly comb swanky bars in and around Cocoa Beach, Houston, and Cape Canaveral, searching for someone ordering a Gin and Tang. We all also have crushes on Carl Sagan.

Tonight, all worthy astronaut groupies will float over to one local: The Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel and Spa (1881 SE 17 St., Fort Lauderdale) for the Broward Housing Solutions’ annual dinner party/silent auction. This year’s event is titled “Moon Walkin’ with Buzz”; Buzz Aldrin, the second space hunk to step foot on our planet’s neighboring orb, is the Keynote Speaker. All who attend are encouraged to dress in space garb (Trekkie wear, alien suits, and all things silver) and to mix and mingle with other out of this world do-gooder types. There will be a cocktail reception and auction kick-off at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner and main event at 8. Individual tickets cost $100, but that’s less than the price of gas to the Kennedy Space Center, so you might actually save money. Call 954-764-2812, or email KristenB@BrowardHousingSolutions.org.
Fri., March 28, 8 p.m., 2008