Members of the Oakdale Soroptimist hosted a festive Motor Madness event on Saturday, March 26, having this year’s theme be Jeans and Jewels. The theme was chosen to go with the cowboy brand that Oakdale is known for and attendees were happy to be back at the Bianchi Community Center for an in person gathering after losing out on the event last year due to COVID.
All proceeds from the event go towards funding a variety of Soroptimist service projects and programs benefitting women, girls, and the community.
Just under 375 tickets were sold and each ticket was good for entry for two people.
The entry ticket included all you can drink and eat, with the drinks catered and served up by Dying Breed Brewery and a variety of festive hors d’oeuvres-type items available to tempt the palate.
The night was filled with the voice of Rob Ely, who entertained the crowd, singing a collection of songs from famous country artists. He was also the emcee for the rest of the evening, raffling off the small baskets and larger prizes. All gift baskets and raffle items were all donated.
The grand prize winner had the choice of taking the Harley Davidson motorcycle or $10,000 in cash; the Harley was from Mitchell’s Modesto Harley Davidson.
Ceres native Amanda Ingwerson was the lucky one to have her ticket pulled to win the grand prize.
“It feels amazing, but I am sadly going to take the cash and go on a vacation,” Ingwerson expressed of leaving the motorcycle behind, though she did try it out, doing a test ‘sit’ on the seat after being announced as the grand prize winner.
Ingwerson’s cousin Morgan Gregg is a member of the Soroptimist and sold her the ticket, her family has been coming to the event for years but this year was her first time going.
“It’s all for a great cause, the event was fun, and the food was excellent,” Ingwerson stated. “The pandemic hit everyone really hard so it’s nice to get back to normal.”
The Soroptimist International is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment.
