Join the party at this year’s Mayor’s Ball
Think of it as a prom for grown-ups.
The annual Mayor’s Ball will be next Saturday in the banquet room at CenterPlace at Mirabeau Point Park. The evening begins with a sponsor’s reception and reception line from 6 to 7:30, followed by dinner and dancing to the big band jazz music of Men of Rhythm.
It’s an evening of men in tuxedos and women in ball gowns, with plenty of dancing cheek to cheek.
“It’s a nice excuse to get dressed up and have a great night out,” explained organizer Rick Wilhite, husband of city of Spokane Valley Mayor Diana Wilhite. “Well, maybe for some of us. Some of us don’t look so great in a tuxedo.”
The evening promises to be a memorable night out.
Mayor Wilhite and other officials from the city of Spokane Valley government will receive guests – along with the Miss Spokane Valley Ambassador’s court, which will be crowned tonight at University High School.
Sponsors of the event include Intermountain Community Bank, Avista, Farmers and Merchants Bank, Global Credit Union and Hanson Industries.
In only its fourth year, the Mayor’s Ball already has a reputation for an outstanding menu and great dance music – credited in large part to the Mirabeau Park Hotel, which catered the meal and provided the banquet hall.
This year the venue shifts to CenterPlace, but the food will still come from the chefs at Mirabeau Park.
“They’ve just done a fabulous job with the dinner,” Wilhite said. “Since we’ve moved to a new location, they can’t do some of the things they’ve done in years past. But they’ve still put together an incredible menu.”
The menu opens with a jicama and green papaya salad with blood oranges dressed with a honey-lime vinaigrette. That will be followed by a USDA prime sirloin topped with mushroom caps, jumbo prawns and Dungeness crab, finished with a cream sauce and accompanied by garlic skin on mashed Yukon gold potatoes and asparagus spears.
Dessert, too, fits the occasion: a Tuxedo Chocolate Marque with a passion fruit and poppy seed coulis, garnished with twisted sugar décor.
Individual tickets for the ball are $45 each. Where in past years organizers have been able to accommodate late comers with extra tables, the move to CenterPoint precludes that flexibility this year.
“Last year, for example, we were able to add an extra couple tables at the last minute,” Wilhite said. “We don’t have quite as much room at CenterPoint, so we can’t do that.”
That means reservations are seriously recommended. Call the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce at 924-4994.