Harry Belafonte, who has been called "the consummate entertainer" for his award-winning talent as a concert singer, recording artist, stage and screen star, and producer, will be the honored celebrity guest at Heartfest 2000, to be held on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2000, from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at Martin's West.

Harry Belafonte

Heartfest is an annual evening of heart-healthy gourmet dining and dancing to benefit the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center, named for the late Hopkins lacrosse coach Henry A. Ciccarone.

Belafonte will be joined by another event honoree, Levi Watkins Jr., associate dean and professor of cardiac surgery in the School of Medicine. Twenty years ago Watkins performed the world's first human implantation of the automatic implantable defibrillator. To date, the lives of more than 100,000 people have been saved with this treatment.

Levi Watkins

Heartfest 2000 will combine three main ingredients: dining, consumer education and entertainment. Heart-healthy cuisine will be prepared by more than 20 of Baltimore's top restaurants and caterers, including Admiral Fell Inn, Biddle Street Catering, Bombay Grill, Charles Levine Caterers, the Classic Catering People, Harvey's of Green Spring Station, Innovative Gourmet, Martin's Caterers, Pisces at the Hyatt Regency, Tio Pepe and Rothwells Grille, complemented by fine wines from the Wine Merchant. Guests will hear remarks from Belafonte and Watkins and may visit consumer-education stations featuring authors of low-fat cookbooks, exercise specialists and more. The dance beat of the evening, featuring music from the '50s to the present, will be maintained by Stevie V. and the Heart Attackers, a band comprised of cardiologists, a cardiac surgeon and other health-care professionals.

Tickets are $75; an early purchase discount is available before Jan. 2. For tickets, call 410-653-9968; Visa and Mastercard will be accepted.