Dust off dance moves for mayor’s ball

You know you want to give it at try.

You’ve watched others do it for a lifetime. You remember how graceful Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were. Or maybe it was Michael Douglas taking a turn on the dance floor with Annette Bening in “The American President.”

You got all caught up in “Dancing With the Stars” and even picked up the phone to vote on who should win that first season: John O’Hurley and Charlotta Jorgensen or Kelly Monaco and Alec Mazo. And because of all that hype, you even took your spouse to see Richard Gere learn a step or two from Jennifer Lopez in “Shall We Dance?”

So what if the first thing you think of when someone mentions a Merengue is a lemon pie, and you couldn’t tell a Paso Doble from a Samba if your life depended on it. You like how it looks when you watch someone else do it.

And you’re aching to give it a try.

Here’s your chance to dress up in your best suit (or spring for a tuxedo if you feel fancy) and evening dress and enjoy a night out for dinner and dancing.

The fifth annual Mayor’s Ball, in honor of Spokane Valley Mayor Diana Wilhite, will be held in the Mirabeau Park Hotel ballroom March 24, with dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. and live music playing until midnight.

The theme for this year’s fete is “Mardi Gras Madness,” and once again the evening’s sponsor is Intermountain Community Bank, with additional sponsorship from F&M Bank, Global Credit Union, Senske Lawn and Tree Care and Hallmark Hyundai and Isuzu.

The big-band swing music will again be provided by Men of Rhythm.

Tickets, which are still on sale for $45, can be purchased by calling the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce at 924-4994 A limited number of tables remain available. The $500 price includes eight tickets to the event, publicity in the event program, champagne and champagne glasses and other “favors.”

There are any number of good reasons for attending. It’s the social event of the year in Spokane Valley. But more importantly than that, it’s a chance to do something romantic and out-of-the-ordinary with your significant other.

You get dressed up and go out together, dine on a gourmet meal, listen to some outstanding Big Band era music and do a little honest-to-goodness, cheek-to-cheek dancing.

It doesn’t matter if you look like Tucker Carlson in his one-and-only (thank heaven) effort, or as cool as Emmitt Smith, the important thing is you are dancing with your date and creating the kind of memory that will keep you both smiling for days to come, and remembering warmly for the rest of your lives.