Moonlight at the Ranch’s wild 20’s speakeasy, The Eclipse Club raided!

Sirens were screaming, G-Men shouting orders, mobsters held at gunpoint, a blazing shootout and crates marked with suspicious triple X’s broken up by ax-wielding firemen Saturday at Limoneira Ranch…  but it was all in fun.

Everybody at Moonlight at the Ranch IV: “The Roaring 20’s!” was suspected of – and later charged with - having a great time at the tribute to the Jazz Age benefiting the Santa Paula Police & Fire Foundation and Chamber of Commerce.

Again a sell out about 1,000 guests enjoyed a swell time including meeting Kevin Costner, the acclaimed actor and Academy Award winning director who was the celebration’s Honorary Chairman.

The celebration per Moonlight tradition was split into two segments; the cocktail party was held at Limoneira Park and the bocce ball courts before moving on to The Eclipse Club, Moonlight’s own giant speakeasy.

Guests of The Eclipse Club were welcomed by owner “Da’ Chairman of the Board” AKA Police Chief Steve MacKinnon, the Moonlight chairman who directed the crowd to the wide expanse between the Limoneira Co. circa 1920’s headquarters and packinghouse.

Also known as ‘Da’ Chief” the tuxedoed MacKinnon – sporting a Jazz Age popular pencil-thin mustache – urged guests to 23 Skidoo! to sample cuisine from Moonlight’s almost 50 participating restaurants or relax with some hooch at the no host bar while “Crazy Rhythm” by Ben Bernie & His Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra and other great 20’s tunes blared in the background.

An 8-foot-diameter bemused moon looked down at the Moonlight crowd and a Paper Moon, famous through generations of photographs that reached its peak of popularity in the 1920’s, was ready for guest posing.

But just when the party reached its peak and MacKinnon, standing on two barrels of hooch, was telling guests announcing he only runs a “respectable joint” the air was suddenly filled with the sounds of sirens and the speakeasy was raided.