Mike Palacio beamed and nodded as they came in droves, a never-ending parade of surfers, family, friends -- all there to show their support for Mike.

Over 300 well wishers attended the fundraiser held at the Bahia Hotel 5th floor ballroom on Sunday, 21 October. Glenn Paculba said, "Ann Evans, owner of the Bahia Hotel, was very generous to donate the ballroom, the staff and all the hors d'oeuvres. Mike worked for the hotel for decades and now she took care of her employee at a time of need." Another force behind the event was Kari McKone. She worked tirelessly to make it a highly successful evening. Indeed, the event was well orchestrated from beginning to end. As surfer and friend, Dave Gnade, put it: "It is a soulful tribute to a soulful guy."

The evening got off to a fast start as soon as the elevator door opened on the fifth floor. There, one was greeted by the broad smiles of Jim Cerone, Tom Davis, Greg Miller, John Pruitt and Glenn Paculba, all of who were manning the dinner and raffle ticket tables. Then, stepping into the salon with its enormous chandeliers, one found tables decorated with beautiful Hawaiian flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables, with more familiar faces from Tourmaline popping up all the time. It seemed to be an extension of our favorite beach. In the queue for the delicious dinner prepared by Taco Surf were well known surfers, such as Skip Frye, Mike Doyle, Kevin Connely, Hank Warner, Rusty Farrell, old timers like Mac McClendon, young timers like Jacek and Caroline, as well as Mike Palacio's family, friends of all ages and the great one man band B Natural. Also present were members of the OMBAC (Old Mission Beach Athletic Club) who donated a beautiful hand-made prayer blanket and funds to pay for most of the food. All were there to show solidarity to a good man and a good surfer.

The highlight of the evening came when three surfboards were auctioned off and two more surfboards were raffled off. The lucky winners-toting their beautiful new boards-left thrilled. There were also surprises: Dave Hazlett donated a ukulele, which was built and tuned by Mac McClendon, that was auctioned off for $900. "We were hoping to get $200, we were very pleased with the results," said Paculba. The generous group was summed up nicely by Dave Hazlett's wife Pat. "This is a very happy and friendly crowd," she said.

PHOTOS OF THE EVENT