Gala of the century

A city more known for rubber flip flops than Jimmy Choo stilettos feted its century of community with a black-tie ball Saturday night.

“In this economy, it’s great to see such a turnout,” Huntington Beach Mayor Keith Bohr said of the $200-per-person evening at the Hyatt Regency. “There are about 650 people here.”

Bohr’s own tuxedo was the topic of many playful jabs.

“Have you ever seen Keith in anything but a swimsuit and flip flops?” State Sen. Tom Harman asked onstage.

“I’ve never seen him in real shoes,” Assemblyman Jim Silva replied.

In addition to Scottish salmon, filet mignon, live music by Christine Day & Friends and a silent auction, organizers offered a “Fish for your Dinner” game, in which people could make $20, $40 or $80 donations and be guaranteed to receive gift cards or other perks that were valued at more than their donation.

For example, an $80 “fish” yielded a $100 restaurant gift card; another produced a coveted city parking pass.

On the auction tables, the majority of the items were Surf City-themed. They included a giclee by Dean Torrence of Jan & Dean fame; a custom centennial beach cruiser and surfboard; an etched window and menu from Maxwell’s; and framed local newspapers from the city’s first year, 1909.

Items with hot bid lists included a framed “Endless Summer” poster signed by its co-star, Robert August, and a personalized centennial street sign, made by the Public Works Department, to include the winner’s name as the street name.

Bohr even offered the chance to have lunch with him aboard a 38-foot yacht.

During the invocation, the Rev. Peggy Price gave thanks for all of those who made Huntington Beach what it is today.

Special guests included Harman, Silva, County Supervisor John Moorlach, the current City Council and other city officials, and a host of former mayors, beginning with the days of Norma Brandel Gibbs and Harriet Wieder.

Mary Lou Shattuck, who coordinated the gala, was given special honors for her devotion. The crowd learned of how her husband had just broken his leg during an ice storm in Dallas, and had two titanium screws put in his leg, but still arrived in time for the dinner.

Bohr presented a photo slide show of the city’s history, from early photos of bathing beauties to Lyndon B. Johnson’s visit to the McDonnell Douglas plant, and gave a spontaneous laud for centennial title sponsor Robert Mayer.

Silva relayed a quote he read from J. Paul Getty, who once said his happiest memory was of body surfing in Huntington Beach.

Bohr, whose in-laws flew in from Denver for the occasion, made sure to use the podium to announce some special news of his own: He and his wife are expecting a baby boy in July.

“She never would ride in the Fourth of July parade when I was elected, but she said she would when I became mayor,” Bohr said. “I guess she found a way to get out of it.”

The featured artist for the evening was Keiko Matsui, a Japanese piano prodigy with a local story.

“Huntington Beach is very meaningful to me because I lived here for more than 10 years,” she said. “When I come here, I feel like I’m coming back to Huntington Beach,” she said — like coming home.

CANDICE BAKER may be reached at (714) 966-4631 or at [email protected].