Elliott Singer: The most memorable dinner that we have attended was in the Great Hall in Beijing, China, while on a trade mission with Gov. Don Sundquist of Tennessee. In this amazing setting, we had many unusual items that were a treat for the Chinese but that we had never seen or heard of-fish eyes being one. The real challenge was trying to act as if we liked such food while not eating it.

Suzanne Chute: Well before we started the construction and decorating of our Windsor apartment, I gave a pre-construction dinner for about 25 people: bare concrete floors, electrical boxes exposed, holes in the wall where contractors were inspecting. We passed out paint buckets with painters' hats, tape measures, hammers, wrenches and more, and they became a source of party fun. Just as we finished dessert, the building's fire alarm sounded. Everyone thought it was planned to get them to leave-it wasn't, and we had to walk down 14 flights, wait outside and then return, although my husband, Bob, and one server wouldn't leave the apartment.

Mary Susan Clinton: Neapolitans Penny and Lee Anderson and Joyce and Bill O'Meara were the high bidders at the Naples Winter Wine Festival 2005 for a week of royal hunting and social extravaganzas in early November. The festivities took place in Madrid and at the estates El Castañar, near Toledo, and Rosario. The estates' proprietors and contributors are the Duke and Duchess of Pastrana, the aristocratic family of co-host Blanca Campoamor, the Countess de Oliveto, and her husband, Dr. José Campoamor. (The Campoamors and the Duke and Duchess are also Naples residents.) My husband, J.D., and I hosted the grand finale dinner party at the historic, magnificent Madrid private palazzo of famous interior architect and designer Duarté Pinto-Coelho. The debonair and charming Duarté graciously accepted our invitation for him to be a guest in his own home. Twenty guests feasted on Spanish specialties, including el jamon regional, el hi­gado de ganso, la planta del pie de Dover con espinaca batida and more. We also enjoyed Spain's most acclaimed flamenco performance before retreating to the Ritz Madrid and returning to Naples the next morning. At the airport newsstand was a magazine featuring an entire spread of Duarté's palatial residence and his collections, with many pieces dating back to the 14th century. Everyone was so excited we had been there the night before.

Frank Haskell: In 1974, my parents, Peg and George Haskell, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with friends and family at a country club in Sarasota. The nine grandchildren, ranging from nine to 19, were skeptical about spending an evening with 150 senior citizens. But they became enamored with the guests in their twilight years, all enjoying dining, conversations and dancing. Today the grandchildren are married with children of their own. They often talk about the friendships they developed with those living in their golden years, beginning that night.

Bob Cacioppo: The most unusual dinner I've ever attended is now an annual event for me. My friend Bruce Strayhorn, Fort Myers attorney and power broker, is an avid hunter, traveling the globe several times over each year in search of big game. Recently he was dropped off by helicopter on a snow-capped mountaintop in New Zealand to hunt Himalayan tahr. Not long after that he was off to Namibia in southwest Africa, where he bagged oryx, eland, kudu, red hartebeest, springbok and blue wildebeest. Each Christmas he and three other globe-trotting hunters throw the now-famous Wild Game Christmas Party for hundreds of their friends at the Shell Factory in North Fort Myers. While I must admit the cuisine is not the finest I've ever tasted, it is certainly the most, shall I say, adventuresome.

Denise Cobb: The French Laundry in the Napa Valley is one of the most famous restaurants in the world. Its chef, Thomas Keller, is consistently voted the best chef in America. Imagine having this famous chef come to your home to make dinner! Each year for the past five years, my husband and I have hosted one of the 18 vintner dinners for the Naples Winter Wine Festival. Thomas was generous enough to volunteer his services for two of these. Both dinners were outstanding, but one stands out. Among the 30 guests was Lord Linley, son of Britain's Princess Margaret and nephew of the Queen. I don't know what was more delicious, the food or the inside scoop on the royal family.

Bruce Yamron: A couple of years ago, I met clients who were new in town and didn't yet know many people. An important birthday for the lady was imminent, but the celebratory mood was missing.

That was enough for my wife, Bridget, and me to go into action. We arranged for a chef's table at the Registry Resort, invited surprise guests, planned a five-course dinner, ordered flowers, scheduled the limousine, hired strolling musicians and a photographer. With all this done practically overnight, we quite casually asked the birthday lady if she felt like celebrating with Bridget and me. Luckily, she accepted, and the evening turned out to be absolutely wonderful.

Kim Long: When I lived in Miami, my family sponsored an annual Thanksgiving dinner for 200 senior citizens. For several years after we moved to Naples, we would bring them over by bus for dinner. These were special and memorable occasions because of their delight in being remembered at a time in their lives when they were isolated or unable to participate in social activities as they once could.

Kellie Burns-Garvey: One of my most memorable and unusual dinners was at the home of Naples hostess extraordinaire Shirlene Elkins. It was an all-girls pajama party at her lovely home in Bay Colony, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. At the door we were handed a pair of adorable men's-style pajamas to wear for the event. Mine were bright yellow and dotted with ice cream cones. It was so nice to take off the heels and tight clothes (PJs leave you lots of room to fill your belly). We headed out to the pool area for Mexican food and margaritas, where Shirlene had musicians in costume, playing traditional Mexican music. The best part of the whole night was after dinner, when the staff brought out boxer shorts and T-shirts. They filled up the pool with liquid soap, making piles and piles of bubbles, and we all jumped in. What a blast!