In that picture James Garner is reading the story from The Notebook to her. The movie jumps in and out of that scene showing the story being played out in South Carolina during the 1940's. It's a love story.
The occasion was a party by a multimillionaire who has a home there, drumming up funds for the Free Medical Clinic in Morehead City Bernie spearheads, on the Board and where he contributes a lot of hours of his personal time.