Topeka ? Hundreds of public officials and well-wishers dined on beef tenderloin and made toasts to Kansas and Gov.-elect Sam Brownback during a Saturday night inaugural dinner and ball that mixed dancing, scaled-back pomp, a chance to mingle with the state’s new political elite and a little charity.

About 2,200 people filled the Kansas Expocentre’s convention hall in Topeka and spilled into the adjacent hockey and basketball arena. The traditional dinner and ball were scheduled after a VIP event attended by several hundred people, including Brownback and First Lady-in-waiting Mary Brownback. The new governor takes office Monday.

Following tradition, the Brownbacks had the first dance of the ball, a country swing to “Never Gonna Change.” Then, the governor-elect did a country waltz with his 13-year-old daughter, Jenna, as his wife danced with their 13-year-old son, Mark.

The incoming governor has made a point of linking his inaugural to events that promote community service, including a blood drive in Hays and charity work in Pittsburg and Wichita. Topeka Rescue Mission staff handled coat-checking, with tips going to the homeless shelter.

Brownback’s team estimated that they raised nearly $500,000 through ticket sales and private contributions to cover the cost. Brownback had promised that his events would be less costly than those in the past in order to set the right tone in a soft economy — though by tradition, private dollars cover the festivities. Four years ago, in better times, the festivities cost $563,000.

The governor-elect told The Associated Press that he still hopes to make a sizeable donation to charity from the ticket sales and private contributions. State law says any leftover funds must go to defray the cost of the swearing-in ceremony and then, to upkeep and repairs at Cedar Crest, the governor’s residence. But Brownback said he’ll ask legislators to change that before his inaugural committee has to turn over the money in July.

“We’re asking people to give (to) the charity of their choice and pray for the state,” Brownback said. Then, alluding to the state’s budget problems, he added, “We’re going to have to just help each other out a lot more.”

Even with less expense, it was a party, especially for Brownback’s fellow Republicans. The GOP has plenty to celebrate from last year’s elections, which gave them the first sweep of statewide and congressional races on the ballot since 1964. During a toast honoring Brownback, Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal said he could describe his wine glass as half-full instead of half-empty because of those victories.

“Sam, we’ve been waiting a long time for this moment,” O’Neal said. “We’re ready for a permanent reset of state government.”

Yet there was room for bipartisanship, with Democratic officials in attendance. State Sen. Marci Francisco, a Lawrence Democrat, wore a lime green gown made by her mother several decades ago and said she was glad to celebrate the start of a new year and mingle with “the people I’m going to be working with.”

Veteran inaugural-goer Mary Alice Lair, of Chanute, was attending her sixth ball, her string starting in 1975. A former Republican National Committee member, she’s widely known in state GOP circles for eye-catching spangled outfits, but she wore a black and gray gown for Brownback’s festivities.

“I’m getting sort of conservative,” she said. “I love the bling, but I’m leaving that to my friends.”

Tickets started at $125 each, but a spot in the VIP reception started at $500. Individuals and corporations also are allowed by Kansas law to give an extra $2,000 after buying their tickets, with the donors disclosed in a report filed with the secretary of state’s office in March.

The dinner and ball were billed as black-tie-optional, but Brownback wore a tuxedo and his wife wore a teal gown with a jacket by a Kansas designer, Michael Nolte of Overland Park. The beef came with peppercorn sauce, accompanied by multigrain rice, vegetables and a choice of turtle cheesecake or mousse cake for dessert.

Diners were being offered chardonnay and merlot with dinner, and Kansas vintages were listed on sale by the bottle. At the nearby Capital Plaza Hotel, the new Brownback Wheat Beer was on tap, created by a local microbrewery for the occasion.

The music was eclectic. The traditional “Grand March,” a procession of state officials, mixed martial music with a Gershwin tune, “Strike Up the Band.” Other music veered from classical to Irish jig, “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” the Beatles and, of course, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

One question surrounding the inaugural was the weather, as the temperature dipped below 20. The National Weather Forecast said the likelihood of snow would increase through the weekend and into Monday, when it was considered all but certain.

The forecast created doubts about whether Monday inauguration would be on the south steps of the Statehouse as planned. At first, the bad-weather backup plan from Brownback’s staff called for moving the swearing-in and inaugural address to a historic home near the Statehouse, but then his aides switched to having the Kansas House chamber as a contingency because it could accommodate more people — and audio could be streamed over the Internet from there.

But Brownback’s staff insisted it would take a blizzard or ice storm to force the event indoors. Spokeswoman Sherriene Jones-Sontag said the final decision about the location would be made Sunday afternoon.