Here’s a pre-election party with pizzazz, and it’s not for Obama or Joe or John or Sarah. Rather it’s for a great cause.

According to my friend Roberta Cohen, P.R. Person Extraordinaire, “As the all important 2008 Presidential Election approaches and serious issues are being debated across town and across the nation, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Auxiliary, Parkview Chapter, believes it’s time for all of us…to lighten up!

Whatever your political party, the Auxiliary wants you to come to this party on Saturday, Nov. 1, just three days before the national election.”

While partisan campaign promises fill the air and candidates pledge to create change, the Auxiliary promises a fun filled, lighthearted evening as it hosts “Red, White & Denim: a Pre-Election Party with Pizzazz” at Meadowbrook Country Club in Ballwin.

The party begins at 6:30 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails (“Ameri-tinis” being the signature drink of the evening) followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m., featuring a regional Americana cuisine, but more of that later.

Will Durst, a comedian and satirist who has been called a modern mix of Mort Sahl and Will Rogers,” will poke fun at both Republicans and Democrats during his witty and sharply crafted act.

Master of Ceremonies will be Bill McClellan, veteran Post-Dispatch columnist and long time panelist on Channel 9’s Donnybrook.

Music for dancing is to be provided by Collage, and there will be a mock election with the presidential winner announced later in the evening, maybe by special guest “Uncle Sam.”

Dress for the party is (what else?) red, white and denim casual.

All this fun, food and fantastic entertainment is yours starting at $75 per person for Representatives, $100 for Governors, $150 for Senators and $200 for Cabinet Members.

To charge tickets to MasterCard or Visa, call Desta Davidson at the Auxiliary office, 314-454-7130. Proceeds will be used to fund the purchase of Delivery Room Neo-Natal Resuscitators, known as Neopuff Infant Resuscitators.

Will Durst describes his comedy as being for people who read or know someone who does.

He transcends party ties, having performed at events honoring former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush and has earned an accolade from the New York Times as “quite possibly the best political satirist working in the country today.”

Durst is a regular commentator for CNN, C-Span and NPR and writes a nationally syndicated op-ed column. Typical of Durst, he says that his performances are made possible by the First Amendment.

Co-chairs of Red, White & Denim, Barb Kennington and Karen Polishuk, have come up with the most interesting and mouth-watering menu that may have ever been created.

Here’s a sample from each of the regional stations — from the South Fried chicken and baby back ribs; from the Northwest Bourbon Glazed Salmon; from the West Coast Sushi and Asian chicken salad; from the Northeast crab cakes, from the Southeast Shrimp Creole; and from the Midwest a mini steak burger bar featuring a variety of toppings. This is only the tip of the culinary iceberg as these selections are accompanied by appropriate trimmings.

So let’s go to the meat of the evening, the serious side.

Funds raised On Nov. 1 will help new born babies breathe a little easier, because the proceeds will fund the purchase of Neopuff Infant Resuscitators, hereafter known a NIR as I am having trouble spelling resuscitator.

“Typically,” explained Roberta Cohen “infants are resuscitated by healthcare providers utilizing a manual bag and mask system. The NIR provides breaths through a machine and eliminates the need for a manual bag. It delivers accurate oxygen levels and constant pressure breaths, is lightweight and easy to use, helps to eliminate provider error and also eliminates the risk of harm to the infant.”

Is this not the best reason to cast your vote for the Auxiliary party and, for just one night, forget about the Democrats and the Republicans?

CREPES IN THE CITY/ART IN THE CITY, a gallery and restaurant, is the new kid on the block in the burgeoning Washington Avenue former wholesale district. It opens this Friday night, Sept. 17, with a ten person group show and a reception from 5 to 8 pm. Gallery Director Carol Shapiro tells me that the artists’ work is outstanding as is the cuisine which you may sample at the opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Art and Crepes in the City is located at 500 N. 14th Street, one block south of Washington Avenue.