Coke and some style at Games’ end

Beijing —- There’s nothing quite like running into one of the most elegant men in Atlanta when you’re looking your absolute worst.

But hey, we were at the Olympics. Surely that makes it OK.

Sartorial gold medalist Mo Akbar, the general manager of the Phipps Plaza Giorgio Armani and a fixture on patron lists throughout Atlanta’s social scene, was among the 90,000 or so who dropped by the Bird’s Nest Stadium on Sunday night for the closing ceremony.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” said Akbar, who stopped in Hong Kong first and has been visiting friends here and taking in the Games. He reminded us he’ll be co-chairing a Meal to Remember, benefiting Meals on Wheels Atlanta, a program of Senior Citizen Services of Metropolitan Atlanta. It’s this Nov. 7 at the Buckhead Ritz. The other co-chairs are Monica Hagedorn and Charlene Crusoe Ingram.

With luck, we’ll have shucked the Olympic backpack-chic look (heat + humidity + walking everywhere) by then.

After a seven-year marathon and a monthlong sprint, Coca-Cola employees took a break to relax at a private party here Saturday night.

“I have been working for four weeks. I need an outlet,” said Griet Van Den Brande, who works in event management with the Atlanta beverage giant’s worldwide sports division. She was among the North Avenue set kicking back at a swank restaurant/nightclub Coke rented out for the event, and released some steam on the dance floor.

“I am not done yet,” she declared. She was visiting with colleagues Rosi Ware and Ashish Asthana, who work in Florida and Hong Kong, as well as fellow Atlantans Kevin Tressler and Kerry Kerr.

The event featured a performance by the New York artist known as Jes, one of the artists in Coke’s “we8” lineup. The project features special aluminum bottles with designs created by Chinese artists, paired with songs from various performers. More than 30,000 artists submitted and nearly 12 million people voted to determine the winners.

Scott McCune, Coca-Cola’s vice president of worldwide sports, said some 4,000 employees, mostly from Coke’s China operation, have worked throughout the Games. Along with its pavilion on the Olympic Green (which saw 10,000 visitors every day), Coke operated two other venues during the 2008 Olympics. Thousands of exuberant fans packed one of the venues, in an upscale outdoor shopping mall, for a Friday night appearance by NBA stars LeBron James and Yao Ming.

“This has been a project we’ve been working on for seven years,” said McCune. “It’s exceeded our expectations.”

Meanwhile, back in Atlanta…

Careful Butterfly readers may have noticed by now that Oct. 4 will be one hopping night in Atlanta. The Atlanta Hospice gala will be at the PDC that night, and the Atlanta Opera Ball is at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. If you’re still looking for something to do, Fernbank Museum’s board of trustees would love to see you at this year’s Timeless Affair, themed “Polar Lights on a Southern Night.”

The black-tie gala honors of Dorothy “Wawa” Smith Hines and Richard K. Hines V. Organizers expect more than 400 guests and hope to raise more than $500,000 to support special exhibitions and films, educational programs and research and scholarships. Event chairs are Dabney and Sam Hollis and Sarah and Scott Goodman. After dinner by Affairs to Remember and live music by the Class Act Band, guests will tour the exhibit “Ends of the Earth: From Polar Bears to Penguins.” Patron levels begin at $1,500 and tables of 10 start at $12,000. Info: 404-929-6404, chris.comfort@fernbank.edu or www.fernbankmuseum.org…Carey Carter, Dr. Nancy Gallups and Mary Welch Rogers are drumming up support for “Atlanta Lyric Theatre Gives Its Regards to Broadway,” benefiting the Lyric. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the W Hotel Midtown. After a cocktail reception with live music and games, guests will enjoy musical performances by The Lyric orchestra, Grady High School Marching Band and local performers including Rogers, Rita Dolphin and Joe Swaney. Tix are $250 each or $2,500 for a table of 10. Longtime Lyric Theatre supporters Trish and Ken Byers are honorary chairs, while Tony Conway serves as chair and Monica Pearson and Conn Jackson emcee. The event is black-tie optional. (Ten bucks says Pearson ends up singing and Gallups’ husband Dr. Jeff Gallups shows up in a crushed velvet dinner jacket. He always looks so fab.) Info: 404-377-9948, www.atlantalyrictheatre.com.