A Ramona Rotary Club fundraiser on Saturday, June 15 will feature a dozen men showing off dapper outfits, dancing and answering pageant-style questions.
The Man About Town 2024 event will be held at the Lavender & Olive event venue, 633 Montecito Way in Ramona.
Cocktail hour starts at 5 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6 p.m. The show will start at about 6:15 p.m.
Rotary Club member Carol Fowler said the event will be “lighthearted and fun.”
“It’s just something different to do,” she said.
Fowler said she was looking for something other than the usual cornhole tournament or barn dance to raise money for scholarships for Ramona students. She recalled that former Ramona Honorary Mayor Sharon Davis held a fundraiser for Ramona Town Hall years ago that entertained crowds with men dressed as women.
“It was hilarious,” Fowler said, adding that the Man About Town contestants will be dressed in men’s wear.
The 12 contestants who will be evaluated by five judges are Peter Bidigain, Lee Castillo, Vinnie Ciampoli, Tim Connelly, Jared Domnitz, Jonas Dyer, Robert Krysak, Micole Moore, Manny Pasternack, Branden Powell, Travis Ross and Peter San Nicolas, she said.
The men will model an outfit of their choice that reflects their personality, job or hobby. Then they’ll change wardrobes for a beach wear competition and a formal wear competition.
Dinner and a no-host bar will be available as contestants entertain the crowd with a dance routine they learned from RJAD dancers.
Fowler said the contestants will also be judged based on the amount of laughter they generate from the audience, level of applause and amount of money raised.
The fundraising portion of the event has already begun. Fowler said. Each contestant has a jar with their picture on it and a QR code so that people can scan the QR code and donate money digitally.
Jim Piva recalled competing in a similar Man About Town event held at Olive Peirce Middle School in 1997. He says he won the contest with a last-minute fundraising push that surprised the other contestants. Half the funds raised went to the Ramona Chamber of Commerce and half to the Ramona Women’s Club for a contribution to a home for abused women, he said.
“I only raised a couple of bucks in the beginning,” the Ramona Municipal Water Board director said. “I hit up all my business buddies in Ramona and I ended up raising a bunch of money. I was keeping it on the downlow and when we got to the end of the contest I beat everybody.”
Fowler said she plans to continue Man About Town next year if there’s enough interest. She said she already has a lineup of men waiting in the wings who couldn’t compete this year.
Music at the event will be coordinated by a local DJ, and the Ramona Rodeo queens will assist and showcase the contestants.
Raffle tickets will be sold in advance for a flat top grill/griddle and raffle baskets will be set up for bidding.
Admission is $45 per person. For tickets, email Fowler at carolfowlerrealtor@gmail.com or pick up tickets at the Ramona Chamber of Commerce office, 1306 Main St., Suite 103.
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