Jane and I love living in West Hartford, and we’re certainly not alone. For the second year in a row we photographed the festivities at the West Hartford Mayor’s Charity Ball at the Hartford Golf Club.  The ball benefits two West Hartford community organizations: The Grounds (a great place for teens to hang in Bishops Corner) and HopeWorks Inc. (a counseling and community outreach organization).

Events included a silent auction, live auction (featuring the local celebrities from Hell’s Kitchen reality show) and much more.  Todd Rose from Cuvee, the cool winebar in Blue Back Square, was pouring the bubbly as guests signed up for their favorite silent auction items.

Brad Drazen, the NBC Connecticut Anchor was emcee, and continuing in the theme of “hometown sons who’ve succeeded in Hollywood” (last year John O’Hurley of Seinfeld and Dancing with the Stars fame was the host) David Steinberg was this year’s special guest speaker.  Steinberg is the writer of the 2002 comedy movie Slackers, and came to be a Hollywood writer by way of Yale and Duke Law School.  Both were extremely funny, with Steinberg riffing on the two West Hartford pet peeves….no overnight parking on the street and that dang leaf collection.

Mayor Scott Slifka spoke to the audience then quickly changed into costume for a killer Blues Brothers homage with the song “The Mayor, Man” along with former WH mayors Jonathan Harris and Catherine Reynolds…well done, especially Harris’s mean Belushi imitation.

Later in the night Attorney General Richard Blumenthal stepped to the mic to speak to the crowd of 350 and add his support to these West Hartford Charities.  Great speakers all around.