Rat Pack Reigns at Band Parents Casino Night
The Huntington Blue Devil Marching Band Parents Association sure knows how to throw a good party. The group recently held a Rat Pack themed casino night at the Fox Hollow Inn in Woodbury. There were plenty of chips and an assortment of fine foods to keep guests satisfied throughout the evening.
“Casino night was a great success,” said Alison McGowan, who co-chaired the even along with fellow band parent Mark Dara. “We knew from the start that we wanted to create an old fashioned Las Vegas style evening with a Rat Pack theme. Guests even had the opportunity to take a selfie or two with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin at our photo booth.”
The evening drew a crowd of about 100. “We are lucky to have a very supportive group of band families who always come out and support our efforts,” Ms. McGowan said. “Many members of the band staff attended and even some of the music teachers from the elementary schools, who first introduced our kids to their instruments and band.”
Superintendent James W. Polansky, Huntington School Board President Emily Rogan and Vice President Jennifer Hebert and Trustees Thomas DiGiacomo and William Dwyer were also on hand.
The evening’s hors d’oeuvres included lobster rolls, beef negamaki, crab quesadilla, baked salmon, coconut chicken and shrimp kebabs. The carving station featured sirloin steak and Virginia ham. The dinner buffet included eggplant rollatini, roast duck, Seafood Newburg (lobster, scallops and shrimp in a sherry cream sauce), paella, chicken Francaise and rigatoni pomodoro. An ice cream sundae bar was available for dessert.
Casino games included a pair of black jack tables, a craps table, a roulette wheel, slot machines and even a special Texas hold ‘em tournament, which was won by Nancy DiGiacomo.
“It was a wonderful evening,” said Lisa Hansen, who serves as Blue Devil Band Parents Association co-president along with Janet Maiorello. “The DJ was awesome and played music from the Rat Pack decade. I received numerous compliments throughout the evening about the ambiance, décor, music, food and atmosphere. The casino company was very professional and really engaged people to play and gave instructions if necessary, especially at the craps table. The evening turned out nicer than I could have imagined.”
Proceeds from the night will be used to cover the cost of electrical equipment for the Blue Devils’ front ensemble and color guard uniforms, which were purchased by the Band Parents Association last summer. Any remaining surplus will be placed in the organization’s account and used for the band’s future equipment needs.
“Mark Dara and Alison McGowan were the co-chairs for this event and they did a wonderful job,” Ms. Hansen said. “They headed a committee of about 20 people who put in countless hours to pull the whole thing together.”
About 40 raffle baskets attracted plenty of attention. “Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time,” Ms. Maiorello said. “Lisa and I are very thankful to all who helped with the event. It was a very big undertaking for all of us.”
Band parent Sylvia Dejoie was the event’s designer, creating attractive centerpieces, a plan for the layout of the room and the evening’s general overall look.
“Our biggest obstacle was to spend as little as possible to make as much as possible, but still keep it classy,” Mr. Dara said. “The first challenge we had was to find sponsors for the event. We needed about $4,000 from that. Next we had to secure quality gifts for the raffle baskets and finally we needed to sell in excess of 100 tickets to make this a success. The generosity of the local businesses was a pleasant surprise. Fortunately we had about 20 parents that jumped in and donated their time and effort canvassing businesses in town, using their individual expertise and doing whatever they could to help. It all worked mainly because so many parents did so much.”
The names of local businesses that helped sponsor the event are listed on the Band Parents of Huntington’s website at www.bandparentsofhuntington.net.