Don’t Miss: Preservation Worcester’s AUD Ball

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Karen Mills, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

A night of food, drink, dancing, and appreciation of Worcester's rich history awaits at this Saturday's AUD Ball.

Anyone looking for an excuse to break out some fancy attire and dance all night should mark their calendars for Preservation Worcester’s AUD Ball, taking place Saturday, June 8, starting at 7:30 p.m.

The Ball will be held in the Worcester Memorial Auditorium, the 80-year old building that has been closed for the past fifteen years. This event is being hosted by the non-profit organization Preservation Worcester as a way to get the building back into the public eye.

“We are a preservation organization. We were concerned about the auditorium being vacant since 1997, and we hope to draw some attention to the building,” said Deborah Packard, executive director of Preservation Worcester. “Hopefully someone will come up with future events to be held there, or perhaps someone will buy it.”

Explaining why the building has been vacant for so long, Packard says “The DCU center was built, and events held at the Auditorium moved to the DCU Center or to Mechanics Hall, so there wasn’t much use for the building. It was a financial drain on the city, so they closed it.”

The AUD Ball is a way for the public to finally look around the interior of this historic building before the city sells it.

“This ball is a rare opportunity for people to get in there,” says Packard. “There are large murals done by artist Leon Kroll; they are spectacular. People will be given tours. The largest mural is called “Truths of Peace in Worcester.” It was done in 1938, five years after the Auditorium was built. That mural is 30 feet high and 57 feet wide.”

In preparation for the ball, the building has been getting a massive clean-up. “The Sheriff’s Department has a community service program, and several inmates from that program have been working full time to clean the auditorium,” says Packard.

Aside from tours of the building, guests will be able to participate in silent auctions, watch a corset fashion show, and enjoy musical performances by Dale LePage and the Manhattans along with many other musicians.

“We have people designing corsets—Worcester was the home of the corset. There will be a fashion show modeling the corsets, and then they will be auctioned off,” said Packard, in explaining what the corset fashion show will be.

“There will also be a hot air balloon,” says Packard. “It will be tethered, but people will be able to ride up in it for a great view of the city.” And thanks to a generous donation, there will be a $7,000 diamond pendant given to one of the guests.

This ball also gives the public an opportunity to see the Kimball Organ.

“One of the really exciting things is that the building houses the Kimball Organ—it’s the best organ in the city,” says Packard. “We will have an organist come play music from the building’s opening ceremony on it.”

Additionally, she says, “This is a great opportunity for people with memories of events held in this building to come back and revisit. We will have three slideshows of past events at the auditorium.”

Food is included in the $55 ticket price—all money raised will go towards the non-profit Preservation Worcester—and there will be a cash bar. Just remember that the dress code is cocktail attire, not black tie.

“It’s not really a ball,” says Packard. “We just thought that calling it a ball sounded catchier.”

To reserve a ticket for the AUD Ball, visit the website at http://www.preservationworcester.org/ or call 508-754-8760. If you buy tickets the day of the ball, the price jumps to $75.