AUTUMN LUNCHEON
Designer Bettie Bearden Pardee will be honored at The Horticultural Society of New York's Annual Fall Luncheon. Chairs include: CeCe Black, Elizabeth Stribling, Dina Merrill Hartley, and Margo Langenberg. Enjoy cocktails, lunch, and an auction including items such as: an exclusive private garden tour in Newport, a John Barrett and Buff Spa Beauty Package, and an Almodington Teak Garden Bench by Munder Skiles. 11:45 a.m. St. Regis Roof. Call: 212-757-0915, x101.

ROYAL RECEPTION
The American Associates of the Royal Academy Trust will host its 17th Annual Gala Dinner Dance. Sir David Manning, KCMG, the British Ambassador to the U.S., will deliver a keynote speech at this champagne reception and dinner honoring Rosamond Bernier and John Russell, in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. Chairs include: Frances Hayward, Roderick Gow, and Christopher Forbes. 7 p.m. The Rainbow Room. Call: 212-980-5748.


A HEART FOR HUMANITY
The Habitat for Humanity will host the annual Builder Awards Gala, honoring Melissa Cohn, CEO of Manhattan Mortgage, and Deutsche Bank Americas' Seth Waugh, among others. Al Roker is the evening's auctioneer. Bob Vila and Todd Oldham will feature their own home-improvement talents! Co-chairs include: Susan Sarandon. 6:30 p.m. Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Call: 718-246-5656, x340.


MUSICAL MASTERPIECE
Join special guests Tony Bennett, Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach, and Margaret Whiting for the annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Awards Gala. Broadway composer Cy Coleman will be honored with a musical tribute that includes a fashion show with tunes from some of Coleman's outstanding Broadway shows, such as Sweet Charity, Fosse, and The Will Rogers Follies. 6:30 p.m. The Rainbow Room. Call: 212-835-2299.


CHEF'S GALA
This year's Chef's Tasting Gala Benefit and Silent Auction will aid the Children's Hope Foundation (in its work to assist families affected by HIV and AIDS). Hosts include: Queer Eye's Ted Allen, chef Daniel Angerer, and Piper Heidsieck Champagne's Christian Holthausen. Benefit committee includes: Joy Behar, Alan Cumming, Harrison Ford, Al Roker, Todd Oldham, Jane Hanson, and Kyra Sedgwick. 7 p.m. Gotham Hall. Call: 212-233-5133.


MUSEUM BALL
Enjoy dinner, dancing, and a special exhibition at The Museum Ball, a highlight of the fall season, benefiting the American Museum of Natural History. Ball chairs include: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, and David and Julia Koch. 6:30 p.m. The American Museum of Natural History. Call: 212-769-5932.

LIGHT BITES
Enjoy "My Favorite Things," an auction (led by Eric Widing of Christie's) and a fab food and wine tasting to benefit the Lighthouse International's Music School and VisionConnection (an interactive global Internet portal). Food critic and author Mimi Sheraton is Honorary Chair. Guests will enjoy hors d'oeuvres prepared by notable chefs from Amuse, Aureole, Barbetta, Django, Fiamma Osteria, Ian Restaurant, Payard, Tao, and Tse Yang. 6 p.m. Lighthouse International. Call: 212-821-9442.


MAGICAL EVE FOR REEVE
Nathan Lane and William H. Macy will host this year's "A Magical Evening," benefiting The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and honoring Glenn Close. This bittersweet evening promises to be a splendid and stately fete, although Chris will be sorely missed. Entertainment will include a performance by Lane. Chairs include: Gene Hackman, and Francine LeFrak and Rick Friedberg. 6:30 p.m. Marriott Marquis. Call: 212-627-1000.

HOLIDAY WONDERS
Join the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club as they host their annual Holiday Wonders benefit. Guests will enjoy an auction including special holiday gifts made by notable New York interior designers, including Mario Buatta, Larry Laslo, and Debra Blair. Fifteen celebs and designers will donate their personally made chairs. Participating: Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Billy Joel, Jennifer Lopez, Oscar de la Renta, Regis Philbin, and the New York Yankees! 6 p.m. D&D Building. Call: 718-893-8600.


HART TO HART
The Metropolitan Opera Guild will celebrate the lives and achievements of Kitty Carlisle Hart and Moss Hart in a "Hart to Hart" gala. This concert will feature tributes, performances, and appearances by: Mario Cuomo, Polly Bergen, Jane Alexander, Celeste Holm, Rosemary Harris, Nathan Lane, Michael Feinstein, Audra McDonald, Anna Moffo Sarnoff, and Rise Stevens. Co-hosts: Julie Andrews and Beverly Sills. 6 p.m. Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. Call: 212-769-7062.


WILD WEST
Get ready for the fall season's biggest showdown yet! The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation will hold its Awareness Month Benefit Gala and Auction, themed the Wild Wild West Celebrity Gala and Poker Night, honoring FOX News Channel's Rita Cosby (who will also be roasted for her 40th birthday by a special celebrity guest!). Chairs include: Mel Gibson, Buzz Aldrin, Princess Grazia Borghese, Natalie Cole, Gloria Gaynor, Don King, Stephen Baldwin, Donald Trump, and Michael Bolton. Get your Wild West best out, for some celebs will be arriving at this boisterous bash by horse and buggy! 6 p.m. V Steak House. Call: 212-265-0223.

AIDING THE CHILDREN
Join Chabad's Children of Chernobyl for the Children at Heart gala (benefiting children living in Chernobyl, Ukraine, contaminated by the 1986 nuclear power plant explosion). This year's celebrity fantasy auction and gala dinner honors Michael Douglas. Chairs include: Steven Spielberg, Jon Voight, Kirk Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Bette Midler. 5 p.m. Pier 60, Chelsea Piers. Call: 212-681-7800, x115.

IN THE LOOP
The S.L.E. Lupus Foundation will host their annual Gala, honoring Dr. William Haseltine and Foundation founder Susan Golick. Honored guest: Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Committee members include: Jessye Norman, and Denise and Larry Wohl. 6 p.m. Marriott Marquis. Call: 212-685-4118.


FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The Food Allergy Initiative will hold its annual Food Allergy Ball, honoring Ron Perelman and Per Se's Thomas Keller. Chairs include: Sharyn Mann, Todd Slotkin, Mary Richardson Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Julia and David Koch, Howard Gittis, Joseph and Claire Flom, Patricia and James Cayne, Ellen Barkin (Mrs. Perelman), and Liana Chen Silverstein. Lou Rawls will perform. 7 p.m. The Plaza. Call: 212-527-5855.


*ART CHIC/Palm Beach
Don't miss a cocktail reception and inaugural viewing of Emanuel Ungaro's Spring Collection 2005, themed Art Chic. This special showcase will benefit the Norton Museum of Art and kick off the Bal des Arts 2005 bash scheduled for Feb. 5. Event chair: Andrea Stark. 7 p.m. Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach. Call: 561-832-5196, x1143.