Guests at Rotary Club of Cambria’s 2024 Viva fundraising dinner. Photos courtesy of Rotary Club of Cambria.
By Connie Pendleton
“Black-Tie Tie-Dye” is this year’s theme for Rotary Club of Cambria’s largest fundraiser, Viva. The event benefits both community and international projects.
Guests can dress in black tie and tails, their favorite Grateful Dead shirt, or maybe with a little creativity, a combination of the two! The elegant dinner event is set for 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. Saturday, Apr. 26, at the San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill.
The evening begins with a champagne reception followed by a dinner selection of prime rib, grilled salmon and eggplant parmesan. Background music to favorites such as Jefferson Airplane and Strauss waltzes will give attendees the enjoyment of different styles for dancing. Events also include a wine pull, raffle, grand raffle and live auction.
The club’s avenues of service include critical funding projects of providing clean water in Africa, helping to eradicate polio, and scholarships for every local high school graduate.
The club hosted its first fundraiser in spring 1998 with a theme of “Viva Las Vegas.” The venue was set up with gambling tables for games of 21 and craps and even included some show girls! A charity event has been held annually with the exception of 2022.
Members enjoy getting creative each year with different themes, venues, dates and event names. They have consistently found the Viva fundraiser to be the most profitable, giving them the ability to provide financial support that is so deeply needed, according to organizer Andrew Boyd-Goodrich.
Tickets are $100, available now and can be purchased through the club’s website at cambriarotarygala.com. The San Simeon Beach Bar and Grill is located at 9520 Castillo Drive off of Highway 1 in San Simeon.
