PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL - The annual good-time roundup known as the Cattle Barons' Ball has a new time and place in Panama City Beach, in early summer rather than its traditional September date.
   
But the mission remains the same: to support cancer survivors and aid research in the fight against the disease.
   
The fundraiser for the American Cancer Society will be at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Edgewater Beach Resort. This is the ninth year for the ball in Bay County, with money raised going in particular to programs of the Cancer Society's office in Panama City. It serves a seven-county region stretching from Marianna to Apalachicola.
   
The Western-wear theme makes the ball popular and unique, said Mark Hess of Ebro Greyhound Park, who is an event co-chair this year with his wife, Sonja. "The Cattle Barons' Ball seems to be the one place that people go to and have a good time," he said. "Some people just don't want to get dressed up in a tux for a black-tie ball."
   
Brett Schuette, the Cancer Society's area executive director, said some people go all out with the boots, the hat, the Western shirt and their best cowboy denims or cowgirl skirts. But "other people just wear their jeans or a Cattle Barons Ball shirt."
   
The night includes dancing to country and western music, of course - this year the performers are Dakota with Dr. Shane Collins and Billy Pierson's band. There's also a buffet and a champagne fountain with a chance to find cubic zirconia - or maybe a half-carat diamond - in your glass.
   
A silent auction includes items such as a trip to the Virgin Islands or dinner with talk radio host Burnie Thompson. A live auction has items such as Hombre Golf Club and Legacy Boating Club memberships, jewelry from Creative Gems, or trips to Lake Tahoe or to an American Cancer Society gala in Palm Beach.
   
Other highlights that generate money for the fight against cancer are unique to the ball. There are the popular pencil drawings of patrons walking away from the artist, known affectionately as butt sketches. Then there are gaming tables with casino-style gambling. To participate, you purchase Baron Bucks.
   
The fundraising goal this year is "in the six-figure amount," said Schuette, somewhere topping the $100,000 mark. That's down from previous goals in the current slack economy.
   
Corporate sponsorships make up more than 80 percent of the proceeds, he said, and the ball is popular as a reward for employees or a treat for clients. Table sponsorships are $1,750, and that brings seating for 10.
   
Top sponsors include the Tommy Hamm Sr. Cancer Center, Ebro Greyhound Park and Dr. John Nanfro. Some businesses prefer to remain anonymous, donating their table space to cancer patients. Others create ways for customers to participate. Hess said Beef O'Brady's restaurants, for example, are donating to the ball some of the proceeds from orders of hot wings.
   
Individual tickets to the ball are $125, and there still were plenty available a week before the ball, Hess said. Although there is a capacity, he said, "individuals who want tickets can call the American Society or show up the night of " the ball.
   
Parking at the Edgewater resort also has its limits. But Hess said it creates yet another opportunity. A hayride shuttle service will be available from the parking lot at Shoppes at Edgewater, across Front Beach Road.
   
Schuette said money raised at the ball goes primarily to the Cancer Society's R.O.C.K. program, which stands for Reaching Out to Cancer Kids. Components include scholarships for students, summer camps and family weekends in Orlando for counseling, support and a day at Disney World.
   
When those needs are met, Schuette said, any money left over goes to cancer research, wherever it holds the greatest promise, and to education. "We know if cancer is caught early enough, there's a great survival rate," he said.
   
The overall goal, said Hess, "is to find a cure for cancer, which helps everybody."