When officers of the Denton Benefit League started casting around for a fresh event that would attract a younger set, it settled on fine spirits and casual clothes.
“Boots, Bling & Bourbon” covers it all, said events coordinator Carrie Langford.
Langford said the league elected to make last year’s winter fundraiser, Sensational Settings, its last. The event invited local nonprofits and supporters to design a table setting — formal or informal. Then it opened a dining room of table setting designs to the public.
“It was the 10th year of Sensational Settings, and we were looking for another event,” Langford said. “The league hosts two big fundraisers — the charity ball each spring, and then a less formal event in the fall or winter.”
President-elect Cathy Bryce said barbecue and bourbon might be just the ticket to ping on the radars of young Denton families.
“I think this introduces us to a whole new group of people to DBL, which exists for one reason, and that’s to support Denton County nonprofit agencies through financial grants,” Bryce said.
The league distributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to nonprofits that work to develop health, education, cultural and civic endeavors. In addition to the fundraising events, the league raises money by selling ads in a yearly tabloid it distributes to its membership.
Langford said Lantana Golf Club is outfitted in Southwest design and decor, the choice setting for a boots-and-bourbon night out. The club’s kitchen will serve Texas barbecue, and Paradise Liquors will pour Texas liquors and bourbons. Swingle Collins & Associates will donate 100 to 150 cigars, and attendees can sample them on the golf club patio. A cash bar will be open, and University of North Texas soccer players will lead line dancing during the party.
“This is a casual event,” Langford said. “It’s not fussy, and has some real guy appeal. Sensational Settings and the charity ball are probably more for women. Bourbon, barbecue and cigars? What’s not to like for the guys?”
The league has always included men in its fundraisers — auctioning hunting trips, and offering golfing packages back when the ball was hosted at Texas Motor Speedway, for instance.
League President Sam Bays said the organization has raised $473,000 since its founding in 1973.
“One hundred percent of everything Denton Benefit League raises above covering costs is given back to the community,” Bays said. “It’s essential for us to support the nonprofits that meet the needs of this community. The people served by the nonprofits we support with grants are our neighbors. We go to work with them. Our children and grandchildren go to school with them. We go to church with them.
“Everything we do is done through volunteers,” Bays said. “We have no salaries to pay, and we don’t have rent or utilities. All of our work is done by volunteers.”
BOOTS, BLING & BOURBON
Who: the Denton Benefit League
What: A bourbon-tasting fundraiser with live music, baubles and barbecue
When: 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 11
Where: Lantana Golf Club, 800 Golf Club Dr.
Details: The event is for ages 21 and up. $50 for tickets to the dinner. $20 for tickets to the Texas liquor and bourbon tasting. $10 for raffle tickets. Cigars will be available for $1 for one or $20 for five. For reservations, call JoAnn Ballantine at 940-368-1998 or send an e-mail to jaballantine@verizon.net. Reserve tickets online at http://dentonbenefitleague.org/specialEvents/BootsBlingBourbon.html. Reservations are due Oct. 3.
