Ava Gardner Festival Gala Tickets Now on Sale

July 22, 2010 - PRLog -- July 22, 2010 (FPRC) -- The 2010 Ava Gardner Festival will kickoff during the Festival Gala on Friday evening, October 8th and will continue Saturday, October 9th from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.   The 2010 Ava Gardner Festival marks the 10th anniversary of the Ava Gardner Museum.  

The Ava Gardner Festival Gala, scheduled for Friday, October 8th, is an exclusive event with a guest list held to only 150 attendees.  The Museum will unveil its newest exhibit, Ava on the Small Screen, allowing attendees of the Gala to be the very first to see the new exhibit.  Items from Ava’s television projects The Long Hot Summer, Harem, A.D., and multiple appearances in the television series Knot’s Landing will be featured.

Tickets to the Gala are $50 per person.

A Silent Auction will also be held during the Festival Gala.  Items up for auction in the past have included vacations, gift certificates to local businesses, and even Ava memorabilia.

“The Gala is a glamorous affair Ava fans look forward to every year as a kickoff to the annual festival, as well as to be the first to see the newest exhibit.  It is also the Museum’s largest fundraiser and for years has been successful in raising much needed funds for Museum exhibits and programs,” stated Jessica Meadows Hammett, Executive Director of the Ava Gardner Museum.

The Ava Gardner Museum is offering a special Festival Package for Two for $99 that includes:  access to the Festival Gala, festival-long museum admission, heritage tour passes, and movie tickets to all films.  Purchasing the Festival Package is a savings of more than $30.

For acommodations, two local hotels are offering special Ava Gardner Festival discounts.  The Best Western Smithfield Inn (919-989-4047) is offering a special rate of $64.00 + tax and the Sleep Inn & Suites of Smithfield (919-209-2360) is offering a 15% discount on rates.  Call the hotel directly and mention the Ava Gardner Festival to take advantage of these special discounts.  

For more information about the Ava Gardner Festival or for tickets to the Gala, please call the Ava Gardner Museum at 919-934-5830.

The Ava Gardner Museum is located in downtown Smithfield, at 325 E. Market Street and more information may be found on the museum website, www.avagardner.org or by calling 919-934-5830.  The museum is open Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm and Sunday 2pm-5pm with admission of $6.00 adults, $5.00 seniors and groups and $4.00 children.