Grab Your Hat and Give

We all know Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the phantasmagorical story that imprinted so many scenes in readers' minds – especially that of the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

So given the choice of attending a charity auction that requires shopping for fancy duds, visiting the salon for an upsweep and a mani-pedi or grabbing your favorite jeans or party outfit and topping them with a silly hat designed for laughs, what would you choose? 

The idea behind Mentor Me Petaluma’s Mad Hatter Ball is to  raise money to support mentors in the schools while dancing like it was a Greek wedding , enjoying silent and live auctions plus viewing vintage, crazy and artistic toppers that supporters will be showing off. 

Founder and executive director of Mentor Me Petaluma says that the Alice in Wonderland/Mad Hatter theme seemed a natural when the best weekend for the first gala held in 2006 fell on April Fools Day. 

“When you’re brainstorming ideas that are foolish, what better than a Mad Hatter Ball?” 

Richman has always had a weakness for hats. Her most memorable one was just like a famous rock star's. 

“My first really special hat was a ‘hippie hat’ that I bought in Quebec City on a field trip with my French Club when I was 16. It was one of those floppy felt hats like Janis Joplin wore.  I loved it!” 

Mad Hatter attendees can dress casually or pull out all the stops, but one rule is never bent: no hat, no dice. 

No, wait. Actually, a few people have arrived hatless.

"We wouldn't turn anyone away for lack of a hat, but they won't enjoy themselves as much as if they had one on.  That’s why we have a stash of extra hats available at the door just in case... for a small fee,” Richman said with a wink. 

In the beginning there were feathers, Richman recalls. Lots and lots of feathers. 

“We used to have a competition but it got too difficult to judge,” she said. 

With people creating, renting and borrowing special hats, it was impossible to rate someone wearing a vintage Stetson cowboy hat versus a beloved church hat of great-grandma's. 

Many just plop on their favorite baseball cap. (Just a guess: caps will be big this year.) And with so many artistic folks in town, there are bound to be a few Beach Blanket Babylon wannabes floating around. 

Richman remembers all the hats she’s worn to the event in sequence, including a ladies' hat heavy with ostrich feather plumes and an Irish Derby hat purchased in Dublin, Ireland. 

For the third Mad Hatter Ball Richman made a bright blue tower with shiny pinwheels, tulle netting, sequins and glitter. 

“Then there was a top hat from Haight Street with multi-colored swirl velvet with rhinestones.  Last year I felt minimalistic and just tied stiff black fabric around my head and put a gigantic bow in front,” she said. 

And this year? 

“That’s top secret,” she said. 

The Mad Hatter Ball will be held the evening of Saturday, April 2 at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Marin and Southern Sonoma Counties, located in the Lucchessi Park Club House on Maria Drive.

Don't forget your hat and don’t be late like the White Rabbit.  I hear the oyster and champagne bar, the premium wine room and silent auction are only open from 6 to 8 p.m. A live auction begins at 8:25 and there are two sets of shake-your-booty live music by The Grooveline.

Tickets for sale through the office, the event website, Aqus Cafe, the Petaluma Mail Depot, Exchange Bank Golden Eagle and JavAmore Cafe in Penngrove.