Big Halloween gala on Oct. 29 to aid Olmsted Parks Conservancy
By ALLISON M. STRICKLAND
Staff Writer
You just might catch a glimpse of Humphrey Bogart or Ingrid Bergman this Halloween at The Olmsted.
The Olmsted Parks Conservancy's seventh annual Halloween Gala is set for Saturday, Oct. 29, and this year's theme is the "Golden Age of Film."
The evening, which begins at 6:30, will be reminiscent of the 1930s and '40s and will feature music from the big band era. Nervous Melvin and the Mistakes will provide entertainment.
The event is the conservancy's largest fund-raiser to support Louisville's 18 Olmsted parks and six connecting parkways.
Between 400 and 500 people att/files/storyimages/the party each year, and the event nets nearly $100,000, said Carolyn Smither, director of marketing and communication for Olmsted Parks Conservancy.
"This is a wonderful way to help the Olmsted Parks, the historic parks in the city," said Smither. "Helping to provide parks for the community is a great benefit for everyone."
The centerpiece of the event is the presentation of the Frederick Law Olmsted Award for Distinguished Leadership, and this year's recipient will be Rep. Anne Northup, R-Ky. The award is given to an individual who has enabled the conservancy to further its mission to restore, enhance and preserve Olmsted's legacy.
"A park neighbor and avid park user, Congresswoman Northup has made a foremost contribution to the conservancy's mission during the past three years," said Kate Chandler, the conservancy's executive vice president. "Thanks in part to Northup's guidance, the conservancy has successfully competed for federal funding on six important projects, which are vital to the longevity of our historic parks system."
Conservancy projects in 2003 included restoring the water quality in both Willow and Iroquois ponds. Money to complete these projects came from $1.4 million in federal funding, the first time in the conservancy's history that its projects were recognized at the federal level.
Other funding includes a $300,000 grant as part of the Interior Appropriations Grant FY-04 to restore Iroquois' Sunnyhill Pavilion, the last remaining original structure of its kind in the Olmsted system; funding for projects in Chickasaw, Iroquois, Cherokee and Seneca Parks; and approximately $1 million to improve and repair Beargrass Creek.
Tickets for dinner and dancing are $250 per person with admission at 6:30 p.m. Dance-only tickets are $50 per person and admission begins at 9 p.m. Attire is costume or "outrageous" black tie.
Dinner will be provided by Mastersons; drinks are included.
For details, call 456-8125.
