Blue and Gold Gala sold out
The Blue and Gold Gala, the crowning event of Monache’s year-long 50th Anniversary celebration, will be held this Saturday at the Porterville Fairgrounds, and the committee in charge of organizing the event has their hands full in the final days leading up to the occasion.
“It’s going great. If you fail to plan you plan to fail, and we’ve been planning and preparing for this event for a long time,” said Emily Drum, MHS teacher and chair of the Blue and Gold Gala Committee. “We have a great group of committee members who are committed to making this event amazing and unforgettable for those in attendance.” One of the many tasks the committee has undertaken in preparation this week is adding tables to meet the demand for the sold out event, which ended up being larger than anticipated. The committee initially sold 650 tickets for the event, but have squeezed in another 20 people who were placed on a wait list after ticket sales closed. “That’s what breaks my heart because we want as many people to go as possible, and I know there’s people in the community who want to attend but won’t be able to,” said Drum.
Wednesday the committee removed the hundreds of memorabilia items in their 50th Anniversary exhibit from the Porterville Historical Museum, and Brighthouse Construction arranged for a walking timeline to be constructed at the fairground venue to feature the items for gala attendees.
Once the venue becomes available for setup on Friday, more than 40 MHS teachers and students will be lending a hand, and the MHS football team will be doing the cleanup afterward.
“It’s a big project. Everyone from the committee will be out there, and we’re recruiting their children and spouses as well. We’re definitely calling in the tribe for this one,” said Drum.
Drum said organizing an event like the gala would not have been possible for her without the help of her sister Amanda Baker, who was committee chair of the St. Anne’s Spring Dinner fundraiser and has a background in restaurant management.
“Before I even started this I talked to her about what I needed to do. I leaned on her expertise and she told me what to expect at different points, so I followed everything she told me,” said Drum. “I am nothing without the wise people in my life.”
The evening’s events will begin with a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m., during which MHS principal Eric Barba will welcome attendees and Drum will also speak on behalf of the committee and make a special announcement. Entertainment will be provided during cocktail hour by the Monache Stage Band under the direction of Justin Adams.
Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by a silent auction and dessert auction. Attendees can also purchase a mystery box, and they have a one in 50 chance of winning $1,000 cash — all in $50 bills in honor of the occasion.
“I’m not a math teacher but I think those statistics are pretty good,” said Drum.
Those who don’t get cash in their mystery box still win though, as the boxes will have more than $100 worth of gift certificates from local businesses, some including a round of golf and a cart at River Island Country Club, and gift certificates from Eagle Mountain Casino, Stafford’s Chocolates, Spoons, Hergesheimer’s Donuts and Pizza Factory.
The silent auction will feature items donated by Fashion Network, Setton Pistachio, Harris Home Furnishings, and Martin Tires in Lindsay, and two months free tuition at Hoops Preschool.
“The generosity of the community to support us with this event has been great,” said Drum.
The balance of the evening will be left open for attendees to visit, reminisce, and dance to the music of DJ Darryl Wandeezy.
Original MHS Home Economics teacher Anna Atkins will be traveling from Montana to attend the gala, and long-time Marauder Band director Dale Anderson will also be in attendance.
While the event will raise money for scholarships and future MHS activities, Drum hopes it achieves a greater purpose that spans the generations that have been part of Monache history.
“The main point of this event is to bring together the legends from throughout Monache history and give them the opportunity to reconnect,” said Drum. “Our greatest legacy here is not our buildings, it’s our people.”
Those who didn’t get tickets in time or are unable to attend need not worry though, as feedback from the year’s activities have inspired the school to organize alumni events on a more regular basis.
“This is just the beginning. Our goal is to do two alumni events a year — one in Fall and one in Spring. We definitely want to provide more opportunities for people to gather,” said Drum.