Arts and Entertainment

English Manor Ball to benefit the Palmer Museum of Art to be held May 15

An English Manor Ball to benefit the Palmer Museum of Art will be held on May 15 Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Friends of the Palmer Museum of Art will host the museum’s annual gala and auction from 6:30 p.m. to midnight Friday, May 15, at The Nittany Lion Inn. Guests will enjoy a celebratory evening complete with an elegant sit-down dinner, dancing, and silent and live auctions led by master of ceremonies Jeff Brown.

This year’s honorary chairs are Rodney and Sharon Erickson and the theme is "An English Manor Ball: A Reflection Back to the Elegant 1920s," evoking the transitional age out of the Edwardian era. A variety of mustaches and pearls will be provided and guests are encouraged to dress in period fashion. Embodying an "English Manor" theme, the Friends selected the evening’s menu to include the following courses prepared by chef Andrew Monk of the Nittany Lion Inn: apple and stilton salad with toasted walnuts and port wine vinaigrette, served with a variety of English-styled rolls and breads; mango sorbet; seared filet with bourguignon sauce and lavender-crusted cod with rhubarb sherry sauce, served with mashed potatoes and green beans; and floating islands with lemon-scented custard sauce and raspberries for dessert.

Following the live auction, dancing will take over the ballroom at 9:30 p.m. with musical entertainment by the Pittsburgh-based Smokin’ Section, which has been the House Band for KDKA-TV’s "Jerome Bettis Show," "The Hines Ward Show," "The PNC Steeler Huddle Show," and has opened for many headliners including Kenny Wayne Shepard, Eddie Money and The Guess Who.

Auction items include a range of unique offerings from dining options and experiential packages to jewelry and works of art. Items can be previewed at the museum’s website, www.palmermuseum.psu.edu, by clicking on the Gala 2015 icon.

The Friends partnered with the following businesses that have helped to shape the event through sponsorships: First National Bank; Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Audi, Volkswagen, Sprinter, and Volvo of State College; Penn State Alumni Association; McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC; and State College Orthodontics.

All are invited to attend the museum’s benefit gala. Preregistration and payment are required ($175 per person; includes $60 tax-deductible donation). All proceeds benefit the Palmer Museum of Art and provide funding for the museum’s free public educational programs that include lectures, gallery talks, musical performances, poetry readings, workshops, films and docent-led tours for school and community groups, as well as sustaining a vital, free-admission resource for the community and those who visit.

A Friends’ membership may be purchased for as little as $35 a year and includes the following benefits: Newsletter and Calendar of Events, tri-annual publication; a 10 percent discount at the Museum Store, excluding consignment items; invitations to members-only events, such as opening exhibition receptions; an invitation to the Friends’ Purchase Party and annual meeting; and an invitation to the Friends’ annual Holiday Art and Ornament Sale preview reception.

For more information about the gala or becoming a Friend, please contact Jennifer Feehan, coordinator of membership and public relations at 814-863-9182 or palmermembership@psu.edu.

Last Updated May 6, 2015

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