We had perfect weather for our 18th annual Sunset Soiree on Tuesday September 13, 2022. After a streak of hot weather, we were fortunate to have a pleasantly warm night with little breeze. Many of the restaurants returned this year and we were pleased to have Cevasco’s and Beeside Balcony as our two newest restaurants. On the beverage side, Koi Zen and Solterra were first-timers. Ruth Grayson was our auctioneer, assisted by her partner Michael Lewis. They kept the enthusiasm up during the live auction, but they also kept a close watch over the silent auction. The robust 70% average return on fair market value of all the auction items reflected their efforts. Meanwhile, the gift card tree was so big that we could split off two “saplings” that both offered a great selection of cards.
Click HERE to access a Google Photo album with full-size pictures available for download and click “Read More” for important thank yous!
A huge thank you to our sponsors. Platinum ($1,000+): Janice and Matt Kurth; Dugan and Phiippe Lamoise; Linda Saville; Dan Smargon; Steigerwald-Dougherty, Inc.; Suzy and Karl Wagner. Gold ($500-$999): Anonymous; Jim and Karin Davies; Bill & Kathy Dougherty; Walt and Linda Strangman; Silver ($200-$499): Ole Prahm and Kathy Reed; Bronze (up to $199): Sage Wealth Management; Leeger Architecture; Walking Path Travel, LLC.
So many members contributed to the success of the event. I hope that I’ve remembered you all! Here’s the run-down in alphabetical order: former member Chad Brown obtained the ABC permit and signed on Cutwater Cocktails; Pat Caughey donated gift cards; Sharyn Daly donated a silent auction item and sold a lot of tickets; Karin Davies helped with set up and Jim Davies manned one of the beverage tables that needed a pourer; Pat Dougherty donated the Vail condo live auction package (and he bought a few silent auction items!); Donna Fipps was our master arborist and once again made a beautiful gift card tree as well as two saplings in lovely pots; Don Fipps helped with checkout and both Don and Donna again donated a crate o’ Scotch; Marlene Gotz donated the Yeti cooler and secured the Joseph Phelps live auction package and some Padres tickets- she also provided a deep well of knowledge about event logistics; Linda Groom was the fearless captain of table captains and painted a wood-grain TV for the Padres TV seats; Jan and Pete Grossnickle secured golf rounds and Jan helped with setup; honorary member Joe Harper donated Turf Club tickets and the Governor’s Room live auction package; Greg Harris donated a gift card; Dee House donated gift cards, was a basket weaver and Table Captain, check-out bouncer and did a fabulous job on getting a lot of publicity; Jim King donated the Rock Creek Lakes resort stay; Sharon’s spouse Jim Kohn secured the Padres TV seats and transported the silent auction baskets in the Viewpoint van; Janice Kurth coordinated all the rentals and supervised the layout; Matt Kurth poured for Prohibition Brewing and the Kurths donated several silent auction items; Dugan Lamoise secured so many different auction items and was always available to give advice and guidance; Philippe Lamoise once again built the auction website and ensured a smooth check in and check out experience; Dugan and Philippe also donated not one, but two gourmet dinners; Kit Leeger purchased program advertising; Brett Mattei lined up lifeguard volunteers and got the lifeguard auction package; Mark Matthess oversaw the wineries who served at the event; Steven and Jennifer McDowell donated several auction items and Jennifer was a basket weaver; Joe McLeod coordinated the Boys & Girls Club volunteers; Toni Mecaro donated silent auction items, got the program printed and was the live auction scribe; winning the Al Pacino “They Pull Me Back In” award is Val Myers, basket weaver extraordinaire who taught the basket weavers tricks of the trade; Val also donated several auction items and the flashlights; Eric Nelte secured the Governor’s Room live auction item; Marty Peters donated to the silent auction; Bill Rawlings transported the glassware to and from the storage unit; Kathy Reed donated gift cards and oversaw finances so that vendors were paid promptly; Garrie Rhodes donated gift cards; Casey Robison served delicious desserts with Darshan; Linda Saville was a Table Captain; Mary Savoy was a table captain and kept the entry table well-stocked with glasses and plates; Sharon Schendel donated auction items and chaired the event; Clay Sheffrey help keep checkout going smoothly; Bob Sonnhalter got the round at Morgan Run; Chris Stewart divvied up the Cutwater cocktails; Linda Strangman was a Table Captain; Walt Strangman helped get the glassware to and from the Plaza (see also below); Tony Villasenor donated auction items and was the drummer for the great band, Beale and Vine; Suzy and Karl Wagner got all the restaurants signed on; Jim Watkins donated silent auction items and to the gift card tree; and Beth Westburg headed up the check out and made sure that the guests’ final impression of the Soirée was a good one. Special thanks to KuSS Emergency Movers- proof that Rotarians adapt and problem solve as needed.