The Black and White Ball will be held at the Cheviot Rugby Club room on Ward Rd and serve as a fundraiser for the final steps of the museum’s renovations.
Volunteers will transform the club rooms with a red carpet, floral arrangements and a photo booth.
Tickets for the ball are $75 and include a meal cooked by well-known local chef and butcher Richard Harris.
On the night, an auction will be held with items ranging from Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa vouchers to goodies from the Amberley Chemist.
Museum president Kate Nicol says the event will not only be a fun night out, but will help bring the museum into a new era— having not been touched since an extension was added in 2003.
Kate says the museum will be completely modernised and brought into the 21st century.
"Up until now we've had display cabinets and things like that, but they do not really tell a story— we have all new art and displays complete with QR codes, so visitors can deep dive into stories on their own devices."
The re-imagined space has had help from award-winning museum curator Sally Papps, who has worked on spaces like the Akaroa Museum, and the Lakes District Museum in Arrowtown.
Original favourites in the museum, like the moa, will be joined by several new and updated displays about the founders of Cheviot, farming origins, schools, sports, the military, and more.
Upgrades inside the museum include new carpet, lighting, and fresh plastering and painting. A new central exhibition space will also be made available, where displays can be refreshed every six months or so.
A new main feature of the museum is a Research Room, complete with a television donated by Cheviot Area School - it will include a big table and provide a space for people to dive into local history and museum projects.
Kate says: "Most of the traffic through the museum is travellers passing through, and they always ask lots of questions - so it’s exciting to be able to give them a more in-depth experience".
Once reopened, the museum will stick to being open four days a week, and entry will still be by via donation.
All going well, Kate is planning for the museum to be up and running on Labour weekend, and is in the early stages of planning it’s grand opening.
- To purchase tickets for the Black and White Ball, call Kate on 021 440 614.
