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Snow Ball raises funds for Main Street Lehigh Valley. New Orleans flair was everywhere at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center Feb. 18 for the 28th annual Snow Ball presented by the Small Business Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. The theme was "Meet Me on Bourbon Street" and was represented in the music, the food and the decorations. The Bon Temps Brass Band played during cocktail hour. The menu included items such as creole-spiced catfish. Decorations included Bourbon and Main Street-style lampposts, and a stage transformed into a dock with fishing net, greenery and a Mardis Gras float. More than 500 people attended the event, which raises money for local nonprofit organizations — more than $500,000 over the years. This year's beneficiary is Main Street Lehigh Valley, a chamber organization that works to beautify chamber communities through a grant program. A silent auction had more than 200 items, including gift certificates to local restaurants, gift baskets, art, tickets to local events, home and garden items and hotel getaways. Dinner started with a baby romaine and frisee salad (pickled okra, grape tomato confit, corn bread croutons, olive relish, creole mustard dressing). The main course was Creole Spiced Catfish and Prime Beef Short Rib (etoufee style sauce, grilled tomato, heirloom vegetables, Cajun-style dirty rice) or New Orleans style fettuccine (creole tomato sauce, scallion, cilantro, roasted red peppers, sweat peas). Dessert was New Orleans Style "King Cake" (cream cheese, pecans, brown sugar, vanilla bean anglaise). A brief program featured remarks by Laurie Hackett, mistress of ceremonies. Hackett manages community relations and philanthropy for Air Products and is chairwoman of the Main Street Foundation. Also speaking were Tony Iannelli, president and CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce; ball committee chairman George Pitsilos of Take-a-Taco, and Lorie Reinert, executive director of Main Street Lehigh Valley. Hackett and Iannelli also conducted a live auction that raised $38,500 in just under 15 minutes on six items, including a 33-month lease for a 2017 White Jaguar F-type convertible with black interior donated by Bennett Automotive Group; a week's stay at a condo in Bonita Springs, Fla., donated by Anne and Brad Baum; and an IronPigs suite and first pitch donated by Air Products. Susan Bella Jewelry of Allentown donated two pendants for a locked key box raffle. Winner Carol Anthony got to choose one. Susan Bella also donated a diamond for the 28th annual Diamond Draw. Guests selected a loose stone from a display that they thought might be the half carat diamond and a gemologist examined them to find the real stone. The diamond was won by Garrett Bateman of TransEdge Truck Center. The evening ended with dancing to music spun by DJ Fly. The Snow Ball Steering Committee included Mike Lichtenberger, enTrust Merchant Services; Kate Miller, Miracle League of the Lehigh Valley; Christy Del Rio, Ciocca Dealerships; Buddy Lesavoy, Lesavoy Butz & Seitz; Frank Heston, First National Community Bank. Guests included Barry and Janet Fisher, Buddy and Laurie Lesavoy, Ilene Wood and Ray Starner, Mark and Beth Jaindl, Zac Jaindl, Ron and Lorraine Jerdon, Tom and Haydemar Groves, Victor and Nadya Salicetti, Charles and Joanne Palmeri, Siobhan "Sam" Bennett and Mark and Jackie Juliano, Mark and Lin Erickson, Maria and Joseph Zator and Robert and Kathy York. Dignitaries attending included state Sen. Lisa Boscola and Ed Boscola, State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie and Madison Bell, State Rep. Daniel McNeill and Jeanne McNeill, State Rep. Michael Schlossberg and Brenna Schlossberg, Lehigh County Executive Director Tom Muller and MJ Muller, Northampton County Executive John Brown and Tina Brown, Lehigh County Judge Bob Steinberg and Linda Steinberg, Lehigh County Commissioner David Jones, Northampton County Councilman Glen Geissinger, Allentown Councilman Julio Guridy and Mercedes Guridy, Whitehall Township Mayor Ed Hozza and Denise Hozza, Carbon County Magisterial District Judge Bill Kissner and Marlyn Kissner, Allentown School Board member Charlie Thiel and Annette Thiel, Lehigh Valley EDC President and CEO Don Cunningham and Lynn Cunningham, Lehigh Valley International Airport Executive Director Charles Everett and Jean Everett, Bethlehem Police Chief Mark Diluzio and Nuria Diluzio and Marta Gabriel and Tom Jebran, representing U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey. Read the original article here.