Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay's Night to Celebrate: Magic of the Coastside Set for April 2nd

The fifth annual Magic of the Coastside is set for Saturday April 2nd at the IDES Hall in Half Moon Bay. The event is hosted by the Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay Foundation and raises invaluable funds to support this year’s signature cause, Purple Heart Anglers, to provide a fishing trip for 30 local disabled veterans and other local and international scholarships and Rotary projects.

Magic of the Coastside 2016 is a Mardi Gras celebration, complete with a live Dixieland band, The Blue Street Jazz Band, and a New Orleans-inspired dinner menu. This event is a fun, casual night for the Coastside community, jazz enthusiasts, and anyone who loves the food and music of New Orleans to gather. Attendees are free to come Coastside-casual or wear their Mardi Gras finery, masks, and beads.

The evening kicks off with appetizers featuring a variety of hot appetizers and donated taste treats from Patti Schwartz of Bay Area Corporate Catering and from Dee Harley of Harley Farms, and Moonside Bakery. The Blue Street Jazz Band will make their entrance early in the evening to set the festive Mardi Gras mood. A sit-down dinner features a salad of mixed greens with strawberries and feta cheese, barbecued tri tip, red beans and rice, roasted brussels sprouts, broccoli and cheddar soufflé (vegetarian option), and dessert of walnut and apple bread pudding with caramel sauce or fresh strawberries.

Exemplary volunteers in the Coastside community will be honored following dinner during the “Service Above Self” Award presentation, with all the finalists recognized, and recipient named for the 5th annual award. This year’s finalists for the Service Above Self Award are Avis Boutell, Bill Mahar, Ruth Rafello, and Erin Tormey. For the second year, a Youth Service Above Self Award for a high school student with an outstanding record in community service will be presented. The finalists for the Youth Service Above Self Award are Kitty Perlsweig, Trisha Madayag, Jack Crofton and Gillian Davis.

There’s also an opportunity for final bidding on the live online auction, with tech support and laptops onsite for easy bidding. The Blue Street Jazz Band will play another set featuring their eclectic mix of traditional Dixieland, swing, Mardi Gras, folk songs, marches, waltzes, Latin music, and hymns. Audience members are sure to be on their feet dancing and cheering before the evening closes at 9:15.

Details on the event and tickets are available online at http://www.rotaryofhalfmoonbay.com/SitePage/magic-of-the-coastside.

The Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay is one of 34,000 clubs around the world and is proud to be a supporter of the Purple Heart Anglers. Rotary International’s signature cause is the eradication of polio, and the end is in sight with just two countries in the world with endemic cases. The Half Moon Bay Club meets each Thursday for lunch at the Portuguese Center at 724 Kelly Street in downtown Half Moon Bay.

Contact Mary Corcoran, Public Relations Chairperson, at mcorcoranhmb@gmail.com or 650-218-0436.