Fairy tales still come true for some girls, and Linda Elaine Flaherty became one of them Saturday night when her name was pulled from a giant pumpkin, making her Cinderella for the 82nd Cinderella Ball. The daughter of Shawn and Debbie Day Flaherty and the grand-daughter of the late Mayor Pete Flaherty, she was escorted across the Omni William Penn ballroom by a very handsome Prince Charming. In one of the many traditions that have remained virtually unchanged through the decades, his identity is kept secret until he is introduced. This year the prestigious job of being a charming prince went to Stephen Hayward McKnight, a junior at Colgate University and the son of Peggy and Steve McKnight.

Pittsburgh's oldest charity event is also the second oldest debutante ball in the country, and it continues to sparkle thanks to the efforts of the Cinderella Women's Committee and its president, Becky Keevican. Co-chairing the ball were Laurel Breuner (with Steve) and Janet Hellberg (also with a Steve), and many committee members had daughters presented, including Jamie Lanier, Rosemary Loevner, Jeanne Kingsland, Betsy Deiseroth and Laura Dawson. Proceeds from the ball are donated to a different organization each year, where the girls also do their volunteer work. The Frick Art & Historical Center, represented by its director, Bill Bodine, was the 2008 recipient.

More than 500 guests packed the fairyland ballroom, where white roses and orchids from Bill Chisnell's Designspace created a magical atmosphere for the 22 debutantes who were presented. An army of young escorts in black tie and tails marched in and knelt around the perimeter as the girls made their entrance into polite society on the arms of their fathers or male relatives. The Rick Purcell Orchestra played waltzes from the balcony, and after a hearty dinner (spinach ravioli, greens with walnuts and cranberries, tenderloin of beef and an exquisite Dulce de Leche cheesecake), Finesse took over for more dancing.

In addition to Ms. Flaherty, the debutantes of 2008 are Katherine Casey Byrnes, Helen Freyvogel Hanna Cestra, Taylor Jordan Croft, Jennifer Ann Dawson, Margaret March Deiseroth, Jamie Marshall Egan, Katie Louise Evans (who won the scholarship for volunteering more than 70 hours), Samantha Kennedy Fownes, Lauren Carroll Greco, Joan Lois Hilton, Morgan Pendleton Kingsland, Kiersten Jamison Kohler, Victoria Rose Loevner, Grace Ann Parr McAllister, Adrianna Sophia Mistick, Petra Karolyi Person, Lesley Anne Robertshaw, Sarah Finnerty Short, Sarah Jane Smith, Rachel Marguerite Walton and Emily Elizabeth Wampler.