President and CEO of Mackay Restaurants Chad Mackay and his wife glided across the center dance floor of the Grand Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue on Saturday night, as the legendary sounds of Pink Martini captured the elegance of the 2009 Candlelight Dinner for the Performing Arts Center Eastside.

The black-tie affair attracted 400 guests and raised $350,000 for PACE.

Presented by the Act One Guild, A Toast To PACE revealed a glimmer of what the 2,000-seat Concert Hall and Cabaret will offer the Eastside and Seattle community. The future performing arts facility will sit on the corner of Northeast 10th Street and 106th Avenue Northeast in Bellevue in an urban venue designed by architects Pfeiffer Partners. Once built, PACE will cater to national and international performers, pop concerts, contemporary dance, traveling Broadway plays, renowned speakers and regional arts organizations.

The Act One Guild was formed in 2003 to plan and organize events with the purpose of raising funds and support for PACE. The Act One Guild consists of roughly 40 members including such influential women as Trish Carpenter, Jane Hague and Betty Freeman.

Mackay showed his support for the future of PACE by his impromptu decision to match every $100 donation at the Candlelight Dinner with a gift certificate for an equal amount to El Gaucho, one of the many restaurants owned and operated by Mackay and his father.

This followed the very generous donation by Patty Edwards of $25,000 and a matching donation by Betty and Kemper Freeman Jr.

Bid cards flooded the air during the donation portion of the evening, raising $139,000 for the Fund-A-Need program.

The development of PACE remains on schedule, with ground breaking set to begin in the summer of 2010. Over the past six years, the Act One Guild has raised nearly $1 million for PACE including the ongoing Fund-A-Need program, enabling PACE to purchase a Steinway Concert piano, a Grand Drape and to jumpstart the PACE endowment. This year’s Candlelight Dinner raised funds for the 250-seat Cabaret audio and lighting equipment package including wireless microphones, stage monitors, wireless headsets and high-end speakers.

The Cabaret is the newest addition to the design process of PACE and will offer an intimate performance space for smaller audiences in a lounge-like setting.

With more than 300 events projected for its inaugural season, PACE expects to serve more than 275,000 adults and children during its first full year of operation in 2013.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425-453-4602.