A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to see a Facebook post about a fundraising event coming up near me. I was intrigued and did a little research and learned about the ’40s on the Fantail, a charity food, wine, and beer festival on the USS Iowa battleship in San Pedro harbor. The entertainment was USO style with multiple acts singing, dancing, live music, and swing lessons.
I contacted the event coordinator Joanna, introduced myself as a veteran and photographer, and asked how I could help. She told me about herself and her love for the era as well as her success in the event planning milieu. She also told me about Laura, the event sponsor. Laura is a fellow military veteran and currently works in real estate. This duo put together the idea for this event and it’s my opinion they did a marvelous job putting together a spectacular event. This initial conversation started a great several weeks of promotion, news coverage, support, and meeting the key players of the event. With the help of NBC Los Angeles, we had a live television spot on CA Live with Kim Caldwell a week before the event, helping bring attention to the event.
The event supported Mission 22, a non-profit that combats the ever-rising veteran suicide rate. Every day, more than twenty veterans are lost to suicide. Mission 22 wants to bring that number to zero. It does this with three main programs; veteran treatment programs, memorials, and national awareness. Mission 22 provides treatment programs to veterans for Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury and other issues they might be facing. It organizes events and builds memorials to create social impact and awareness for these issues. Mission 22 also has an Ambassador volunteer program for people to get involved as well. Ambassadors educate the public on veteran issues; help get veterans into Mission 22 treatment programs and create resources in their communities. These three programs enable a push for the betterment of our nation’s heroes and stand united in the war against veteran suicide.
The event itself was an amazing evening with top-notch entertainment. Headliner Jonathan Stout and His Campus Five played a phenomenal set, giving guests the chance to dance the night away. The Satin Dollz sang and danced their way into everyone’s hearts with a classic war-time rag. The dance exhibitions by The Hollywood It Girls were tip-top, entertaining guests with their style and grace. Big Band Tunes by DJ Little Red kept the dance floor lively while the Pin-Ups for Vets gave attendees the chance to interact and get photos with a stunning group of volunteers that have veterans in their hearts and minds. And a swing dance lesson was offered by Time 2 Swing for those that wished to brave the dance floor.
With so many vendors providing sumptuous fare it was definitely an evening to remember. With catering from Stonefire Grill, burgers from Bunz Gourmet Hamburgers, charcuterie trays from Grazing Theory, and empanadas from Continental Gourmet Empanadas; there was food enough to go around. The wine selections for tasting were numerous with Barlow Vineyards, Bellante Family Winery, Vina Sympatico, Navarro Vineyards, Le Grand Courtage sparkling wines, Bella Luna Winery, and local favorites the Blending Lab offering tastes of the finest vintages. Beer selections from Anchor Steam, 2 Towns Cider, Inland Wharf (a veteran-owned brewery), and many others had the barley and hops fans covered with great selections as well.
With such an event benefitting an organization that was so close to my heart, it was impossible for me to not be excited to be a part of it. I was honored to be able to share the evening with fellow veterans and meet others that were like-minded in the pursuit of ending the stigma and helping veterans with mental health issues. Thank you, 40’s on the Fantail, for an amazing event and I look forward to future events!
More photos from this event available on our Facebook Event Album.
