Elegance, mystery and a little bit of history will come together later this month when the Magness Community House & Library opens its doors for a new kind of fundraiser.
The first Midnight at the Magness Masquerade Ball is set for Saturday, Oct. 24 from 7 p.m. until midnight, bringing a formal evening to one of McMinnville’s most historic buildings while raising money for two local causes.
The event is a joint effort between the Magness and CASA, with proceeds being split between the organizations. Magness Library Director Kim Cantrell, Program Director Mary Payne and CASA representative Debbie Helton joined the JK Show Friday with hosts Kelly Walker Slaughter and Jeff Simmons to talk about how the event came together and what guests can expect.
“We wanted something special to bring to McMinnville - Something unusual for a fundraiser and something that lends itself to our building” Cantrell said.
The setting was a big part of the inspiration. With its historic architecture and long history in downtown McMinnville, the Magness offered a natural backdrop for an elegant masquerade.
“This was Kim’s idea,” Payne said. “When Kim and I started back in December, she said, ‘Let’s have a masquerade ball as a fundraiser.’”
From there, the Magness wanted to find another nonprofit to share the evening and its impact. The choice was CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), a program which uses volunteers to advocate for children in the foster care system.
“We’ve been around going on three years and had kind of been looking for a good Warren County fundraiser,” Helton said. “And when Mary and Kim approached me about this, I thought that is perfect.”
CASA will also contribute artwork from some of the children it serves for the event’s silent auction.
Midnight at the Magness will be open to guests ages 21 and older. Formal or black-tie attire is encouraged and masks are requested to complete the masquerade atmosphere.
The $125 individual ticket includes a light meal and two drink tokens. Cantrell said The Well will be part of the evening while Common John’s and The Vault will be set up in the back parking lot. A silent auction will also feature several items, including pieces connected to local history.
And despite the word “ball,” nobody needs to spend the next three weeks secretly taking ballroom dancing lessons.
“No, you do not,” Cantrell said when asked if guests needed to know ballroom dancing. “You need to just come and have fun.”
McCay Wealth Advisory is serving as the presenting sponsor for the inaugural event. Sponsorship opportunities are still available at three levels - $250 Community Sponsor, $500 Mask Sponsor and a $1,000 Midnight Sponsor.
Cantrell said sponsorships will help the organizers reach their fundraising goals, with the money benefiting both organizations.
“We have had some great sponsors come out for us and we’re looking for a few more to meet our goals,” Cantrell said.
For the Magness Community House & Library, the masquerade is also another step in a larger effort to make the historic building more than simply a place to check out books.
“I think people forget we’re not just the Magness Library, but our actual name has community house in it,” Cantrell said. “And so that’s what it started off to be, is a community house too.”
That philosophy has resulted in an expanding list of programs. The Magness offers role-playing groups, Mahjong, line dancing and German classes. A new community classroom opened this week with projects expected to rotate every two weeks and opportunities for homeschool students, Warren County Schools students and community members.
Cantrell said another project in the works is a wellness room, which could provide opportunities ranging from grief counseling and teletherapy assistance to chair yoga and sound bowls.
The Masquerade Ball may be one of the more ambitious examples yet of that effort - taking a building rooted deeply in Warren County’s past and finding another way to fill it with people in the present.
Tickets for Midnight at the Magness will be sold through Oct. 15 because organizers need a final count for food.
