What’s an end-of-summer party without some punch ... about 1 hour. Transfer the punch to a large bowl. Gently stir in the Champagne and float the grapefruit wheels on top.

In the party’s new headquarters in a refurbished garage on Hillsborough Road, I sipped my champagne punch and anxiously checked my ticket number. As one of 40 or so attendees, I thought I had a ...