Buffalo turned out this past Friday, for the Red Cross's 10 thannual M*A*S*H Bash. While "Hawkeye," "Hot Lips," and "Radar" weren't officially in attendance, the blistering late spring sun did feel reminiscent of M*A*S*H's Los Angelos set, where the brows were sweaty and the air just plain ole' hot.

Driving up Delaware to the Red Cross building, packs of camouflaged patrons strode toward the enormous tented party that would house roughly 5,000 people before the night ended. Kyle, the man with the loudspeaker and rather official looking army gear, directed the traffic that was still moving steady at 8 o'clock, an hour after the event began.

Kate Rogers, Red Cross's Development Manager, ran up to greet the journalists who were all ready to cover this monster of an event. "We're almost out of food!" she exclaimed, somehow cheerful, nervous, and enthusiastic all at once. She ran off to take care of business, and it was evident that the turn out, is nothing short of charity history-making.

At the entrance, Executive Director, Nancy Blaschak was ready for an interview. "This is the tenth year of the bash," Blaschak explained perusing the excitement and people shuffling through all around her, "and it's for a great cause. As you can see we've got thousands of people here. It's a great time and a beautiful summer night to support the work of the Red Cross."

When asked where the idea of M*A*S*H Bash originated, Blaschak explained, "Well, actually we stole the idea from another Red Cross chapter. A chapter in San Diego used to do it years ago, and we kind of stole it and made it bigger and better. This is one of the biggest fundraisers that an American Red Cross chapter does anywhere in the United States."

While you couldn't donate blood on site Friday night or a few days prior to the event, the Red Cross held a drive earlier in the day at Ralph Wilson Stadium. "The Bills sponsored a great big blood drive, and we collected about 250 units of blood today, so it was a big day for the Red Cross here in Buffalo" Blaschak humbly explained. The Red Cross hoped to raise about $400,000 from the Bash.

Blaschak has worked for the Red Cross for twenty-nine years, so she's been around for every Bash. Her favorite part of the evening? "Just the mix of people. It's such a cool event. I mean we've got young people, older people, up in coming young executive types, very wealthy people, you name it, they're here. It's a great blend of all of Western New York. That's really what we wanted to do when we started this: to create a party where everyone feels comfortable."

Yes, entering the tents was more like entering a party maze, but the event truly maintained a comfortable and impressively personable feel. There were rarely more than six inches between you and the next person over, and yet the raging crowd definitely encouraged a sense of community togetherness. You could easily run into at least ten people you knew, and everyone else expected at least a couple accidental shoulder nudges as you wrestled through the horde.

"My favorite part about M*A*S*H Bash is that you get to go home by 11:30" exclaimed George Radeff, a local business owner who was calmly taking everything in. "Plus, you get to see the whole town in one night." It truly was a people-watcher's dream. Surrounding the stage in swarms, people of nearly every legal drinking age swayed and grooved to the funky soul of Lance Diamond. For a band that plays frequently at the rather modest Elmwood Lounge, they truly put on a spectacular show.

While food ran low in the main tent, the Commander in Chief VIP tent had a schmorgisboard of easily accessible food. One almost felt guilty diving into a plate of Asian vegetable stir-fry when the masses ate the last of the pizza and hot dogs, but then the VIPers did rightfully donate more for the cause.

The concept of the cause at times feels lost between the decadent cigar tent and the all your can drink mentality, but then perhaps that's part of the beauty. At least, this was the opinion of a young exchange student who wanted to remain anonymous. "It seems that people are not thinking about the cause. I know it's for charity, but aren't we almost paying for our drinks?" Yes, this event is clearly a party, but truly a celebration of success, hope for Buffalo, and the sheer longevity of M*A*S*H Bash itself.Plus, part of the reason the priceremainsreasonable is due to the support of several corporate sponors, some of whichwho donated up to $1,000.

Kenneth Turner, Director of Emergency Services, was found in the VIP tent enjoying a plate of food. He was one of many photo-op victims throughout the night, but also proved to be somewhat of a beacon of Red Cross knowledge. "M*A*S*H Bash really came from our armed forced emergency services, so having the theme of wearing army fatigues and helping people, goes right along with our communications."

Turner helped validate the theme, not that one needs any thorough rationalization to dress up in comfortable scrubs and party. "It [MASH Bash] falls directly into the mission of our services, and it hides and reminds people of what we do."

What better charity marketing could we ask for? A grooving local veteran of funk, good sprits, and free refreshments: all the collaboration of a charity success. The event also truly proves that the Buffalo Red Cross chapter not only stands strong on the national map, but that Buffalo still knows how to show the cash and bash.