Garden Party Gems

Austinites toast artsy icon at colorful garden party

Garden Party Gems

Austinites toast artsy icon at colorful garden party

Umlauf's executive director Nina Seely with Stephanie Condon, Caitlin Swain, and Kristin Fannin.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Cass Cheesar, Sophie Cheesar, Carla Umlauf, and Ella Cheesar.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Garden Party chair Allyson Maxey and Lynnsie Jammal.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Jon Gerber.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Ryan Williams and Matt Jones.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Kimberley Kitlowski, Darlene Fiske, Danielle Rivera, Sara Teitelman, and Erin Moore,Photo by Jonathan Garza
Laura Matz and Rosa Perez.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Mary De Prisco and Walter Rumpf.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Heith Pino, Janis Clapoff, and Edward Helm.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Lilly Davis with Christin and Jenaro Diaz.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Kasey and Luke Wenz.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Dena Davis and Mike Butson.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Dara Allen and Diane Humphreys.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Christina and John Scott.Photo by Jonathan Garza
Natalie and Dave Sideserf of Sideserf Cakes unveiling their Umlauf-inspired creation.Photo by Jonathan Garza

What: Garden Party

Where: Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum

The lowdown: Austinites gathered to toast the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum during the 2017 Garden Party, a favorite spring affair. Guests were treated to bites from 25 area restaurants, sips from a vast selection of wines curated by Twin Liquors (including an all-rosé bar), and tunes from the Nash Hernandez Orchestra.

Also on the scene was Food Network, which filmed the unveiling of a custom, Umlauf-inspired creation from Austin-based Sideserf Cake Studio, star of the show Texas Cake House. The event featured a live and silent auction full of exclusive offerings, and it raised over $300,000 for the Umlauf.

Who: Nina Seely, Allyson Maxey, Carla Umlauf, Natalie and Dave Sideserf, Cass Cheesar, Sophie Cheesar, Ella Cheesar, Jon Gerber, Darlene Fiske, Kimberley Kitlowski, Danielle Rivera, Sara Teitelman, Erin Moore, Lynnsie Jammal, Stephanie Condon, Caitlin Swain, Kristin Fannin, Ryan Williams, Matt Jones, Laura Matz, Rosa Perez, Rex and Scarlett Lewis, Stephanie Spurrier, Brian Bounds, Mary De Prisco, Walter Rumpf, Heith Pino, Janis Clapoff, Edward Helm, Lilly Davis, Christin and Jenaro Diaz, Kasey and Luke Wenz, Dena Davis, Mike Butson, George Elliman, Connor Dodd, Christina and John Scott, Dara Allen, and Diane Humphreys.

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The Long Run

Olympic sprinter Gabby Thomas gets engaged on Austin staycation

Gabby Thomas and Spencer McManes are now engaged. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Five-time Olympic medalist and social media powerhouse Gabby Thomas is sporting some new metal — an engagement ring from luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co.

Vogue magazine reported March 25 that Gabby's longtime boyfriend, Spencer McManes, 29, recently popped the question on the rooftop of a staycation rental in Travis Heights. The 28-year-old Thomas accepted the proposal. Thomas and McManes live together in Austin with their dog, Rico Thee Pug.

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The couple started dating in 2022, one year after she stumbled upon his pizza reviews on Instragram. “I’m a huge fan of pizza myself,” she tells Vogue. “I was like, ‘This looks like really good quality content.’”

Impressed by his pizza prowess, Thomas followed McManes on Instagram.

“I got the notification that I had a new follower. I was like, ‘That’s crazy! Gabby Thomas?’” he tells Vogue. “I immediately DM’d her and asked, ‘What did I do to earn a follow?’”

It wasn’t long before that Instagram follow led to love.

Four years after that initial Instagram encounter, Thomas’s best friend and a photographer witnessed the surprise proposal in a setting that overflowed with fresh flowers. “Oh my gosh, this is happening,” Thomas recalls thinking.

“Normally he’s very bad with surprises — and this was the one surprise I think I’ve ever witnessed him keep,” she tells Vogue.

Thomas, a world-class sprinter, earned three gold medals at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and one bronze medal and one silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Thomas has spun her golden success on the track into sponsorship deals with footwear and apparel brand New Balance, Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava, and smartwatch brand Amazfit.

Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology and global health from Harvard University and a master’s degree in epidemiology from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Thomas and McManes get along despite the fact that he’s an alumnus of Yale University, an Ivy League archrival of Harvard.

McManes founded an Austin-based non-alcoholic seltzer brand called Kaviva. A former Yale football player, McManes competes for the Austin Huns Rugby Football Club, according to TMZ.

Right now, the newly engaged Thomas has little time to celebrate or plan her impending marriage. She kicks off her 2025 track-and-field season this weekend at the Texas Relays in Austin — where she may or may not be flashing her new bling.

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