This week's Art Talk Monday is written by Jessica Slaughter, NCLAC Executive Director. Mardi Gras Ball Tickets are now available at the Dixie Center Box Office. Call Libby to reserve your seat for the Ball at (318)255-1450 Come dine, dance, and support the arts with us this February!
It’s time to mark your calendars for the upcoming Krewe of Allegro Mardi Gras Ball and Silent Auction. Ruston’s “party of the year” will be February 7, which will be here before we know it. This annual event, whose theme this year is “the Arts,” has been a highlight of the Mardi Gras season in Lincoln Parish for many years; 2015 will be the 16th year!
Last year the Ball was given a facelift: a new floorplan; a new Ball Committee; larger attendance, many of whom were new to the event; new tiered ticket prices; and a new purpose: to support the Dixie Center for the Arts’ Sustaining Building Fund.
The historic Dixie Theatre, built in 1928, is home to the Dixie Center itself, as well as other arts nonprofits: Ruston Community Theatre, the North Central Louisiana Arts Council, Troupe Dixie, and the Ruston Civic Symphony Society. Each of these groups pooled our efforts last year to make the Mardi Gras Ball bigger and better, and it was a lovely success. We are all working together again this year, and we hope you will join us!
Angie Biscomb, Ball Committee Chair, says “This is a great time of year for the community to get together and have a good time, while recognizing how fortunate we are to have so many avenues for the arts in our community.”
The King this year will be David Hedgepeth, and he has chosen as his queen Melinda Maxwell. David has been a supporter of the arts community for years, and we are pleased to honor him in this way. We will be announcing the Royal Court after the holidays. These individuals are chosen by each of the nonprofits at the Dixie, as a way to recognize and honor people who have made a difference to the respective organizations.
This year’s Ball, sponsored by Bank of Ruston, will be held February 7, from 7pm until midnight, at the Ruston Civic Center. Tickets may be purchased in person, or over the phone, at 318-255-1450, Mon.-Fri. from 9am-2pm, through the Dixie Center Box Office. Lord & Lady tickets are $40, for persons ages 40 and under, and Baron & Baroness tickets are $60, for persons 41 and over.
Individuals may reserve round tables that seat 8 persons when they purchase their ticket at the Dixie Center for the Arts. Each ticket grants two complimentary drink tokens for a beer or wine beverage from the bar. A cash bar is available, and no outside drinks are permitted.
There will be a table decorating contest this year, with a cash prize for the winning table. Be sure to ask Libby in the Box Office about this fun opportunity when you come in for your ticket.
One highlight of the Ball each year is NCLAC’s Silent Auction. This is a wonderful way to “win” treasures, such as trips and casino stays, one-of-a-kind artworks, and antiques. Details about some of the available auction items will be given in early January.
If you have any questions, please call the Dixie Center Box office at (318)255-1450. Follow the Krewe of Allegro Mardi Gras Ball on facebook to stay in the loop about the event.
