Red cowboy hats, tapas, and the Western Heroes

By all accounts, the night was a success. People from all parts of the community came to Mukilteo Cafe to eat tapas, drink wine, listen to the Western Heroes, and, above all, show their support for the South Whidbey Commons. The support was not limited to simply showing up, either. Boosted by one heck of an auction hosted by Jim Freeman, we raised $8,403 on the night - and that's net income, not revenue. It was perfect, and we had all hands on deck to get it there.

When I arrived at 3 to start setting up, most of the work was already done. The board members were all there, Gena and Rosie, Caitlin and Molly, Mukilteo staff, an ICB volunteer, Sam E, and others who had graciously offered their time and energy to help in any way they could. Rosie and Gena, among others, had done a beautiful job with the decorations.

Also, Jo's idea of using Mardi Gras beads as auction items to sell, for example, $25 of nails or $250 of lights, was executed to perfection by Caitlin and Rosie, with other hands helping too, I'm sure (on the decorating side), and Jim Freeman (on the bullying and selling side). To be honest, I was skeptical. No offense Jo. Maybe it's because of my recent economics and business studies, but I just couldn't understand why people would buy a string of beads with a picture of a golden toilet on it. Where is the incentive, I wondered. Thankfully, I was wrong. They sold like Beanie Babies in 1995.

Also, the music was fantastic. The Western Heroes know their stuff, and several times I had to blindly feel around on the floor for my face after it melted during a guitar solo. As good as the music itself was, though, its result was the true peak. For me and I believe at least Caitlin and Molly, the highlight had to have been seeing Jo and other Board members rush the dance floor and crank the energy up a notch. It really set the tone for the event.

Thank you to every single one of you who support us either financially or with your willingness to volunteer or patronage of the coffeehouse and other programs or simply through your neighborly positive energy. We couldn't do it without each and every one of you.