Today is the last day to buy tickets to “Lunch on the Lawn,” a fundraiser to be held Oct. 6 at the Governor’s Mansion to benefit the Old State House Museum’s restoration of its collection of first lady gowns, the museum says. The museum might give a bit on that date, so I’m posting its call for tickets here.
The display of the gowns, worn by first ladies from 1840s to the present, at the Old State House has always been one of its most popular permanent exhibits. The museum says it is the largest such collection outside the Smithsonian. A textile conservator, Harold Mailand, inspected the gowns to create a prioritized conservation list. From the museum:
“One challenge is to secure funding both to conserve the gowns and to update the exhibit area so that a substantial part of the collection can be kept on view while preserving the gowns for generations of future Arkansans,” said Bill Gatewood, director of the Old State House Museum, a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.
Tickets for the fundraiser, to be hosted by first lady Susan Hutchinson and attended by former first ladies, are $150. Purchase them by calling Sammye Johnston at 664-1879 or emailing her at sammyejohnston@gmail.com.