Ventura, CA - The Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation is saying goodbye this year to formal gowns and tuxedos for the 37th annual Benefactors’ Ball and welcoming a more casual affair with swing music from Ventura’s own Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

The Benefactors’ Ball this year is Saturday, Sept. 25. Proceeds will be used to purchase a new ultrasound unit for Community Memorial Hospital’s Intensive Care-Critical Care Department.

Ventura recording artists Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, an internationally contemporary swing band, will perform at this year’s event, which is departing from its past formal black-tie and gown tradition to a more casual environment.

The ball retains its tradition of featuring fine wine and gourmet cuisine from around the world. Festivities begin with a reception at 4 p.m. under the “Big Tent” on the actual site of the new Community Memorial Hospital. Dinner is set for 5 p.m., with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy performing its unique brand of swing music starting at 6 p.m.

The Benefactors’ Ball represents an opportunity for residents to support community-based healthcare. Every year hospital and community leaders from all over Ventura County gather for a night of dining, live music and dancing.

Formed in 1989 by lead singer Scotty Morris, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy enjoyed an early cult following and the band was featured in the 1996 movie “Swingers.” The band grew in popularity and appeared on the 1999 Super Bowl halftime show and the 2006 Capital One Bowl, and also served as house band for the sports cable network ESPN’s ESPY Awards for several years.

In recent years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has played on the Pops programs of American symphony orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony in 2008. The band also released “How Big Can You Get?” a collection of their renditions of Cab Calloway songs in 2009.

Tickets can be bought individually, or by table of eight. Sponsorships also are being accepted. For ticket or sponsorship information, visit www.bbvdcmhf.org or call the Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation at 667-2881.

Community Memorial Hospital is located at 147 N. Brent St. in Ventura.