Menifee Mayor's Ball - Recap

The 1st Annual Menifee Mayor's Ball took place last Saturday evening. I attended, and wanted to give a brief recap. The ball was hosted by the Menifee Valley chapter of the Rotary Club.

It was held at the Valley Wide Gynasium, next to Bell Mountain Middle School, and ran from 6:30pm to 10:00pm. It was pretty well attended, with just shy of 200 people. It was a black-tie affair. I'm not sure Menifee has ever had so many adults in tuxes all on one night.

The ball had something of a 1940s theme, with a band playing all the big-band classics you'd expect to hear from Glenn Miller or Jimmy Dorsey. It also had something of a patriotic theme too, with red napkins, and white stars against a navy blue backdrop.

I couldn't help thinking that it felt something of a high-school dance being placed on top of a basketball court, with basketball hoops and a scoreboard adorning the walls.

The Ball started off with a Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

All the city officials were there, including officials from other cities, and even county officials, including Supervisor Stone.

Mayor Wally was introduced to give a speech, and when he got up to walk to the podium, he received a standing ovation. He mentioned that when he chose to run for mayor, he hardly knew anyone around here. But since being sworn in on October 1, he's gotten to know all of the city, county, and state people, and complimented them all on their professionalism and expertise.

My wife and I sat at the table with "Miss Teen Menifee Valley". She said that there will be a new pageant shortly for "Miss Teen Menifee", now that we're a city. Also at my table was someone from the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard, which I'm sorry I didn't get her name. Eric Madrid, MD, who runs cityofmenifee.com was at our table with his wife.

Dinner consisted of tri-tip, roast chicken breast, green beans, scalloped potatoes, salad, and bread. There were complimentary bottles of wine on the table, and little boxes of raspberry flavored M&Ms. Judy Handwerker, president of the Menifee Rotary Club, said they chose M&Ms because of the letter "M" for Menifee.

Every couple attending got a free professionally done portrait. Considering I hadn't been in a tux since my wedding, it was a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity I couldn't pass up. Well, maybe third if I go next year.

There was a silent auction for a variety gift baskets.

Between the sponsorships, ticket fees, and silent auction, the Mayor's Ball raised approximately $20,000, of which $4,500 will to go towards Menifee-area charities. The remaining money will pay off expenses for running the Ball.

The entire evening went really well. I got the sense the Rotary Club put a lot of planning into it, from the photographer, to the bartender, the table decorations, the food, the music, the silent auction, the booklet, even the wine glasses etched with the 1st Annual Mayor's Ball.

I even got the sense that this Mayor's Ball signaled the first sign that this sleepy little county-administered town began indulging in its new-found independence by throwing a type of party that only incorporated cities got to enjoy. It's sure to be the first of several events to give the City of Menifee a new identity.

Here are a few photos...