Masquerade Ball, in Pictures.

By Racheal Myers

In a follow-up to my last blog entry, I attended the first annual Masquerade Ball to benefit the Allegany County Animal Shelter. Proceeds from this event will go to the building fund for the shelter's new adoptions centers, and renovations to the existing buildings, as diagrammed below. Renovations will be started in 2013.

A diagram of the proposed renovations for the Allegany County Animal Shelter.

For the Ball, costumes reminiscent of 15th and 16th century Venetian society were mandatory, including masks. It was interesting to see what every ones perception of this historical concept was.


Me and Jodie Sweitzer, Queen City Animal Rescue founder.

Marc Bochy and Cassie Doty of the Allegany County Animal Shelter.



Yours truly and fellow masked lady Teresa Dailey.



To add to the allure, the Ball had a murder mystery theme. The Count was murdered, and there were eight suspects in the room who could have done it.  Our task was to go to each of these suspects and, through the information we gathered from them, decide who was the murderer. Toward the end of the night, we were to put a ticket with our name on it into a can that represented our chosen murderer. From the can, a name would be drawn, and that person would win a $50 gift card to Puccinis and an all day bike rental from the Cumberland Trail Connection.

The cast of the murder mystery. Madam Ezzymerelda, second from left in the top row, was the murder.
 

As part of the effort to raise money, there was a silent auction in which multiple area shops donated items.  Items ranged from a spaghetti dinner, supplied by Martins Food, to the most expensive item: a set of three venetian masks from Cumberland Keep and Pier Pullella of The Mask Boutique that was worth $189.

Jennifer and Wilber Whitman, who went home with a centerpiece door prize, and three of the auction items including the silver and black mask, a variety of cat toys, and a basket of movies.



Three masks donated to the Ball. Each mask was auctioned off separately.

Table of silent auction prizes.

The Ball also had a cash bar, light hoers derv es, and a DJ. Everyone involved said that the event, which had been in the making since February, was a success. There are already plans in the making for the second annual Masquerade Ball. Stay tuned for the total amount of money that was raised!