What was it like to step out in the 1920s for a fancy dress ball? Was it a moment like a scene from “Downton Abbey” or more like a scene from “The Great Gatsby”?
Try to imagine dressing in your flapper dress with your bobbed hairdo to dance the Charleston, or your white tie and tails and looking like Fred Astaire about to dance down to Rio.
Well, this year you don’t need to use your imagination. Now is your chance to step back in time 100 years and help with a good cause.
The Tioga County Historical Society has taken a huge step in bringing a major social event to Tioga County. From 5-9 p.m. on May 16, the Society is hosting the first Looking Back Gala: Our Roaring Twenties.
The event will be held at the Pumpelly House Estate, 44 Front St. in the Village of Owego. It is a major fundraiser for the Society and tickets cost $100 per person or $150 per couple. The entire ticket cost is tax-deductible, and each ticket holder will get one drink for free at the bar area in the carriage barn at the rear of the property.
Formal attire is required, and we are strongly encouraging those to dress in 1920s formal attire – both men and women. The evening begins with a cocktail hour from 5-6 p.m. with several varieties of passed hors d’oeuvres, followed by a dessert station.
Guests will be seated at 6 p.m. for some important announcements and acknowledgements. This writer will give you a hint – it involves the start of a $2.2 million capital campaign and a major donation (oops, I gave some of it away).
At 6 p.m. dinner will be served, and guests have the option to choose from chicken piccata, pork tenderloin with balsamic glaze or pappardelle pomodoro. A garden salad will start off the meal, and each entrée will include a potato and a seasonal vegetable, rolls, and butter. The meal is being catered by The Cellar Restaurant in Owego.
Beginning around 7:30 p.m., the evening will include a silent auction of some beautiful high-end items donated by local businesses and individuals, and the auction will be presided over by Lucas Kaczyinski, Owego-Apalachin social studies teacher and auctioneer for the Early Antiques Center. There will be dancing to the music provided throughout the evening by Bob Powell Entertainment.
The Society has designed a four-tier sponsorship package with levels at $3,000, $2,000, $1,000, and $100 (for a quarter-page ad in the event booklet). This is a wonderful opportunity for area businesses to show their commitment to the area and its history and heritage. In addition, individuals or businesses who have items of higher value and may wish to donate to our silent auction are encouraged to reach out to the museum for more information.
While the attire may be formal, the event will not be stuffy and uptight. A relaxed atmosphere of culture and society meets fun. Aside from the beautiful period music being played for the entire event, Bob Powell is setting up a photo booth to allow attendees to memorialize the evening with a photograph.
The ambience of the setup with the Pumpelly Hose Estate’s Model T Ford car inside only adds to the ambience of the evening, and there may be a few period cars adorning the Front Street area on that evening.
The funds raised for this event will be used to assist in the operation of the museum as we restructure the Society’s finances to create a stronger and financially sound Society so that the history and heritage that it protects will be there in another 100 years.
The previously mentioned capital project will be raising funds for the addition of two two-story additions to the sides and rear of the museum building that will allow the collections of the Society to be moved above the 2011 flood levels.
An important event for an important cause. If you are interested in donating an item, becoming a sponsor, or attending the event, please call the museum at 607-687-2460.
Gerald Smith is executive director of the Tioga County Historical Society and a former Broome County historian. Email him at historysmiths@stny.rr.com.
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Tioga County hosts 1920s gala to support history museum upgrade
Reporting by Gerald Smith, Special to the Press & Sun-Bulletin / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
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