Our Man Inside: Saturday’s Cattle Baron’s Ball
The skies poured almost as steadily as the drinks flowed at Saturday night’s Cattle Baron’s Ball, held at the legendary 8000- acre Star Brand Ranch in Kaufman.
Cowboys and cowgirls from all over the metroplex, armed with money in their hands and jeans tucked into their boots, mingled in an evening of fundraising to help support cancer research.
The 36th annual event started off harmless enough, with two massive outdoor stages and two enormous hospitality tents decorated in western accents.
The weather had other ideas, though. As drizzle turned into deluge, the outdoor event was forced to move inside. Emmy-nominee and two-time “Dancing with the Stars” winner Julianne Hough took the stage around eight; the live auction followed.
The spirit of the event was not dampened by the inclement weather, though. Auction items (and bids) exceeded Cattle Barons’ expectations. Though I would have loved to win the Dinner with Dallas Cowboy Legends (which included Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman), there’s no way my wife would allow me to pony up a bid that exceeded the winner’s $75,000. The evening’s most expensive item, a rare Porsche Panamera, garnered $120,000.
By the time country duo Montgomery Gentry stormed the stage, the crowd behaved like a well-heeled, Texas version of Woodstock, with the Dallas social crowd slipping and sliding in the mud, donating money and having fun.
Judging from Sunday’s event , the economy seems to be roaring back to life.
