LIBERTY — You didn’t have to be a major fan of the comedy “Step Brothers” to help raise funds for community organizations, but it certainly would have helped.

The 3rd annual Girard-Liberty Rotary Catalina Wine Mixer took place Thursday at Woodland Estate and gave the 400 attendees a mix of food, wine and beer tasting, live entertainment and numerous raffles.

In the film, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly are unwilling stepbrothers who refuse to accept adulthood. When they do, they’re miserable. A climactic scene at the fictitious Catalina Wine Mixer finds them taking action and, surprisingly, saving the day.

“We came up with the name from one of the members mentioning it from the movie,” said Gordon Byrne, president of the Girard-Liberty Rotary. “We played off that, and it took form. This is the first year we built a little bit more into that theme with the opera singer coming in and opening up and the band singing a couple songs that were in the movie.”

In the movie, Ferrell amazes the crowd with a moving rendition of “Por Ti Volare,” a Spanish cover of Andrea Bocelli’s “Con Te Partiro.”

Following two years under a tent at the Churchill Commons Giant Eagle, the event switched to the Woodland Estate event center because of its ability to host festivities indoors in case of inclement weather. Having an enjoyable night out was desirable, but raising funds was a priority.

“The Girard-Liberty Rotary teamed up with Churchill Commons Giant Eagle – (owners) Pam and Bob Graff, who are part of the Rotary — to sponsor an event. We’ve done golf outings and stuff in the past, and we wanted to do something different. So, we thought wine tasting would be appropriate to raise some money to support our efforts in giving back to the community and supporting a lot of our efforts by donating money to Girard and Liberty communities, school systems and food pantries.”

He also mentioned Girard and Liberty robotics programs and Buckeye Boys State and Girls State.

“Anything that would support the younger generation as well as things that are currently going on in the community,” Byrne said of the variety of organizations the Rotary supports.

He added, “We also support as a rotary on an international level with Rotoplast for cleft lip repair and the eradication of polio.”

Tables for wine tasting were hosted by Heidelberg Distributing, Superior Beverage Group, Vintage Wine Distributor and SG Wine Spirits.

For those who preferred a different adult beverage, local craft breweries included Penguin City Brewing of Youngstown, Modern Methods Brewing of Warren, Birdfish Brewing of Columbiana and Noble Creature Wild Ales & Lagers,also of Youngstown.

Giant Eagle provided food items, including smoked ribs and bbq wings, while Gia Russo offered Italian haluski and samples of pizza, meatballs and pita chips with a cheese dipping sauce.

The quartet, Something Different, covered a variety of classic rock artists including Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, Steppenwolf and Loverboy in front of a banner for Presitge Worldwide — the fictional company presented in “Step Brothers.”

“We want to thank everybody who attended to help benefit the local Rotary charities,” said Bob Graff. “We are proud to be part of such a great organization that is committed to giving back to the area.

“While Churchill Commons Giant Eagle is committed to supporting the Rotary, it is our great team members and Rotary volunteers that make this event happen. We once again had a sell-out as the local community’s generosity never surprises us. The Rotary is proud to do our little part to help strengthen our communities and, of course, we are always looking for new members to join the club.”

According to Byrne, final figures will be done after the event, but he expected to raise approximately $15,000 net profit for the Rotary’s efforts to aid local and international organizations.