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Put your dancing shoes on, Harlan County! The First Annual Fall Ball is set for Sept. 13, bringing a night of dancing, live music, food, and more to downtown Harlan all to benefit the upcoming Historic Harlan Museum.
Bronwyn Haynes, Director of the Historic Harlan Museum, shed some light on the event during a recent interview.
“Fall Ball is going to be a fundraiser for the museum,” Haynes said. “It marks a new chapter in our mission. We’ve been slow getting started, but now we’re really going to be on a roll.”
Haynes explained the Fall Ball is going to be an open-air event.
“It’s going to be an outdoor event in downtown Harlan on First Street,” Haynes said. “We’re still trying to iron out some details.”
Haynes went over some of the aspects of the event.
“There’s going to be live music, a dance floor, a catered dinner and more,” Haynes said. “It’s going to be an incredible night under the stars and a way to enjoy Harlan in a way that many folks haven’t been able to enjoy Harlan previously.”
She also talked about the possible theme of the event.
“We’re thinking something like an adult prom, except outside under the stars,” Haynes said.
According to Haynes, the original idea for the Fall Ball came from City of Harlan Tourism Director Brandon Pennington.
“He talked about having a dance for a fundraiser,” Haynes said. “We feel like there aren’t that many events for which people get to dress up and go out and have fun. Brandon (Pennington) came to me with that idea, and I just ran with it.”
The Fall Ball is being held to benefit the Historic Harlan Museum. The museum has been in the works for some time, and is not yet open to the public.
“We just actually started construction again,” Haynes said. “We’re hoping to have everything open at the beginning of next year or maybe summer. We’re going to have some pretty cool exhibits; we have a popular media exhibit set up…and we also have an exhibit about the USS Harlan. We have a lot of exhibits planned.”
Tickets for the First Annual Fall Ball are $50 each and may be purchased at the Harlan Center during regular business hours.