Masquerade ball raises money for Child Parent Institute

Treats were abundant, tricks less so at the frightfully delightful, eve-of-?Halloween dinner and dance party at Santa Rosa’s Friedman Event Center.

Breathless Wines bubbly and other fine wines, Arthur Murray ballroom dance lessons and an opera performance by Andrea Ingraham thrilled guests of the VIP reception that kicked off the 4-A-Child Masquerade, a benefit gala of the Child Parent Institute.

As they visited prior to dinner, supporters of CPI and its mission to end child abuse and strengthen families sipped, tasted treats from Redwood Hill Farms, sat for a tarot reading and mugged for the camera booth.

Attire for the evening was across the board, from full-out costumes to black ties and party dresses. Dinner was a buffet boasting beef bourguignon.

Emcee Mike McGuire, the state senator and former Sonoma County supervisor from Healdsburg, introduced a short program that featured a performance by vocalist Ingraham, a CPI video and an appeal for donations to continue and expand the agency’s work.

Then the band Lost Dog Found struck up its first dance tune and the curtains on the great room’s stage swung open to reveal a casino with blackjack and craps tables and roulette wheels. It was time for some serious pre-Halloween fun.