Lois Pope with emcee Regis Philbin

Socialite Ari Rifkin got herself a walk-on part on CSI: New York, courtesy of leading man Gary Sinise, while 140-plus disabled veterans were treated to a Palm Beach event they otherwise couldn’t even think about getting in.

Of course, Rifkin paid a tad more than the vets for her goodies, bidding $16,000 at the urging of amateur auctioneer Regis Philbin (yes, he of Live with Regis and Kelly).

More than 500 Palm Beachers attended philanthropist Lois Pope’s yearly Lady in Red gala at The Breakers – one of the first fancy affairs in what’s expecting to be a season of economic discontent on the island.

(More photos after the jump)

(Photos by Lucien Capehart Photography)

The shindig, by the way, is to raise money for a monument for disabled veterans in Washington, D.C. It was to have been picketed by a veteran’s group unhappy about what they say is waste in Pope’s fundraising. But none of the angry men showed up.

So Pope, widow of National Enquirer founder Generoso Pope, didn’t lose her sense of humor.

In her usual speech, she pointed out the economy is so bad that: “(The scandal-prone) U.S. Congressman Tim Mahoney had to lay off three mistresses!”

Taking in The Temptations during dessert: Patrick Park and his new lady love, Nathalie Gutierrez; Park’s ex with her new hubby, Mary and Mark Freitas; Lenny and Sunny Sessa; magazine publisher Margarita Abrishami; diet guru Robert Atkins‘ widow, Veronica, with new hubby Alexis Mersentes; former Palm Beach cop Mike Mason with his first lady, Ashley Deflin; soon-to-be-wed George Cloutier with betrothed Tiffany Spadafora; Frank and Gerri Morrow; and many more.