96th Cinderella Ball The 96th Cinderella Ball was held at Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley on May 28. Here are the seven debutantes and their parents: Katherine Sandra Appleman Daughter of Dr. Leonard Joseph Appleman and Dr. Jodi Kathleen Maranchie Vivian Catherine Davison Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George McConnell Davison, III Hailey Morgan Flaherty Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Daniel Flaherty Ava Caroline Kronman Daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Jeremy Zoltan Kronman Emma Josephine Lammert Daughter of Mr. Thomas Lammert and Dr. Lisa Nelson Sarah Mellon Scaife Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Negley Scaife Francesca Zocco Scragg Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Raymond Scragg
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At the 96th Cinderella Ball on May 28, event chairs Kelly Waldman and Courtney Elizabeth Benson each touched a magic wand to illuminate a pumpkin – which transformed the Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley into a fairytale scene.
On a warm spring evening, debutantes dressed in white gowns who wore long white gloves were presented to society. In traditional cotillion style, the young girls grasped their father or presenter’s hand, did a curtsy and walked the length of the ballroom before 245 guests of family and friends.
Moments after William Robinson Engel was announced as Prince Charming (a well-kept secret until that evening), his younger brother, John August Engel, carefully held a glass slipper perched upon a tufted pillow awaiting the name card that Prince Charming would select from the pumpkin.
William Robinson Engel, a graduate of Shady Side Academy, is a rising senior at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, studying psychology and neuroscience. He is the son of F. August and Annie Hanna Engel.
William Robinson Engel selected Sarah Mellon Scaife’s name card. Scaife is the granddaughter of former Trib Total Media owner Richard Scaife.
He took her hand and they danced a waltz.
“It’s just like a classic fairytale,” said Sarah Mellon Scaife, a senior at Shady Side Academy. “I will remember this moment for the rest of my life. I almost fainted when they announced my name. I just can’t put this into words.”
Scaife said being part of the Cinderella Ball was a way to honor her late aunt, Jennie King Scaife, who was a debutante in 1982.
The family tradition of the Cinderella Ball is one reason Waldman, of Fox Chapel, and Benson, of Pine, wanted to co-chair. They recalled the incredible evening when they were debutantes at the 81st Cinderella Ball in 2007.
Waldman’s mother, Diane, serves on the board of the Cinderella Women’s Committee.
Benson and her two young daughters, Brinsley Grace and Blakelyn – future debutantes — were dressed in adorable ball gowns and danced the night away with their parents.
The Cinderella Ball is Pittsburgh’s oldest fund-raiser and one of the longest-running debutante balls in the U.S.
Last year’s event was moved from January 2021 to June 2021 because of the pandemic. It was held at Allegheny Country Club, which can accommodate indoor and outdoor settings.
For more than two decades, it took place at the Omni William Penn Hotel, Downtown Pittsburgh.
After Prince Charming and Cinderella danced, the debutantes and their fathers did a waltz followed by the grand march.
Dinner was served a little after 8 p.m.
Guests dined at both indoor and outdoor areas of the club with the plush green fairways visible as a backdrop. Sparkling chandeliers hung from tents and towering floral arrangements with beautiful roses by Jeff Donati atop pedestals adorned each table.
All the dances were held inside the historic ballroom.
“All of the debs did wonderfully,” said Waldman. “It’s like coming full circle for me, to be a deb and now co-chair the event. There are so many wonderful memories that I will never forget.”
Benson said the evening was perfect.
“I am on another planet right now,” she said. “These girls will go on to do great things. The Cinderella Ball is for all the debutantes — past, present and future — who will share this bond forever.”
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That bond was formed in 2019 for Francesca Zocco Scragg, a senior at Quaker Valley, when her older sister Izabella was presented. The girls’ 3-year-old cousin, Lucia, attended both girls’ debutante balls and they took photos they plan to show her when she’s a debutante.
“I feel like I am continuing the legacy,” Francesca Zocco Scragg said.
Vivian Catherine Davison, a senior at The Ellis School, said it was important to share this night with the lovely ladies she never would have met had she not been at the ball. She said she is happy they could celebrate in person.
“I have been looking forward to this evening since I was a little girl,” said Ava Caroline Kronman, a senior at Shady Side Academy. “It is amazing to be a part of it and to be with family and friends after not being together for so long. The timing is perfect.”
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The entire Cinderella Ball experience was more than she could have imagined, said Emma Josephine Lammert, a senior at Shady Side Academy.
“The volunteer work was great, and this ball is the best way to cap off our senior year,” she said.
Katherine Sandra Appleman, a senior at Shady Side Academy, said she is grateful for the opportunity to work with a community of supportive women.
“They’ve been there for me,” she said. “They’ve inspired me to volunteer more and of the importance of helping others.”
Debutantes are required to do a minimum of 30 volunteer hours each with the beneficiary. The young women spent more than 300 hours at The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in Highland Park. In addition to the zoo, they filled knapsacks with school supplies at the Pittsburgh Field Club for kids transitioning between foster homes. The bags were donated to the Foster Love Project. They spent time at several other charities through the Leadership Forum for Young Women, which launched in 2020. The debutantes attended networking events with guest speakers and professional development training.
The women’s committee awards a scholarship to the debutante who has contributed the most volunteer hours to the beneficiary. There were two because each volunteered 63 hours – Scaife and Hailey Morgan Flaherty.
Flaherty, a senior at Shady Side Academy, said volunteering was fun and a unique experience and that she learned so much about animals, even snakes.
“I am honored to receive this scholarship,” Flaherty said. “And to spend this wonderful evening with my family and friends and the other debutants who have become my friends. I will always look back on this night fondly.”
A carriage decorated with fresh flowers was unveiled towards the end of the night. As guests entered the event, they walked by a wall of colorful blooms from Day of Rentals that were not only decorative but a hot spot for capturing photo memories and selfies.
Master of ceremonies was Charles R. Altman, who grew up in Fox Chapel and is a graduate of the Carnegie Mellon University school of drama. He spent eight years as the puppet Prince Tuesday on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
Dinner was filet of beef and sea scallop prepared by the club’s executive chef Dustin Bates. The Rick Purcell Big Band entertained guests while they dined and after The John Parker Band welcomed everyone to the dance floor. There was a spectacular Zambelli Fireworks show at 10 p.m., and then more dancing until the stroke of midnight.
The zoo will be the 2023 beneficiary. The 97th ball will be held on June 18, 2023, at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact JoAnne at 724-853-5062, jharrop@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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96th Cinderella Ball The 96th Cinderella Ball was held at Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley on May 28. Here are the seven debutantes and their parents: Katherine Sandra Appleman Daughter of Dr. Leonard Joseph Appleman and Dr. Jodi Kathleen Maranchie Vivian Catherine Davison Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George McConnell Davison, III Hailey Morgan Flaherty Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Daniel Flaherty Ava Caroline Kronman Daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Jeremy Zoltan Kronman Emma Josephine Lammert Daughter of Mr. Thomas Lammert and Dr. Lisa Nelson Sarah Mellon Scaife Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Negley Scaife Francesca Zocco Scragg Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Raymond Scragg
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