Put down your smartphones and break out the bellbottoms—The Center for the Arts is going back in time for its upcoming fundraiser.
Organizers of the second annual Backstage Bash say the ’70s theme will offer donors a groovy good time, baby.
Slated to begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, the event will be held outside The Center of the Arts along College Street, between Church and Maple Streets. Dinner will be catered by Maple Street Grill, while Super T and the Tyrone Smith Revue will provide live entertainment.
The event, while aimed at raising money, is also about having fun and learning about The Center for the Arts, according to David LaRoche, who serves as co-chair of the event with his wife, Brook, and Lee and Rebecca Upton.
LaRoche explained that fundraisers of these sorts were popular in the ’90s when The Center for the Arts was first established. But this party won’t leave your wallet empty.
“I wanted to recapture the notion of having a large party, but make it more all-inclusive, especially for young people interested in supporting the arts,” he said, pointing out that tickets are as low as $35.
“My wife and I chaired the event last year, and it was a huge success. We grossed over $50,000, not even including the sponsorships. And this year, well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We’re doing a lot of the same things—the car is new—but we’re just tweaking it to improve as much as we can.”
He’s referring to the 2010 Nissan Cube donated by Nissan of Murfreesboro (formerly Stones River Motors) that will be raffled off during the event. Tickets for the raffle can be purchased for $25 each, and you don’t necessarily have to attend the Backstage Bash for a chance to win.
With a sticker price of $19,900, the Cube “could be yours for the price of $25,” says Pam Humphrey, executive manager at Nissan of Murfreesboro.
Ticket buyers have a one in 1,500 chance of winning, and the ticket price covers everything but state sales tax.
“We were actually a sponsor last year for the Bash, and (organizers) said they were getting together a raffle for this year and needed something to raffle off,” Humphrey said, explaining how the business got involved in the fundraiser.
“There’s a disco theme, and the (Cube) has a kind of retro look and is something we could wrap info on. Rebecca (Upton) came and presented that to us, and we just couldn’t resist.”
LaRoche said the committee hopes to net $50,000 this year—double the $25,000 netted from last year’s inaugural event—with the help of the Cube raffle.
“That money goes to keep the center open. Events like this really go a long way towards helping us with our goal,” he said.
The Center for the Arts recently became a 501(c)3 non-profit and acquired the city/county-owned property. As such, it receives very little government funding to help maintain the century-old building.
“Every month this year, we are putting on a production, which is about double what we did last year,” LaRoche continued. “We also made some renovations like new flooring and new paint, and we installed new microphones and repaired the roof.”
He added that “Another idea we’re considering is an uplift on the outside of the building. We’re hoping the money we raise will go straight towards our capital asset: the building.”
Ticket prices for dinner and the concert is $100. Concert only tickets are also available for $35, and tickets for the raffle at $25. For additional information, visit boroarts.org or call 615-904-ARTS.
