John and Mallory Fuller, Carmen Cavezza, Joanie Camp, Carol Norton, Joyce Cavezza and Greg Camp at the 2012 Gala
L AUGUST 2013
NIM Gala Celebrates Everything Georgia
by Hayley Blair Look forward to a peach-themed night on August 24, when
the National Infantry Museum will be hosting its 4th annual gala. “Tis year we’re doing ‘Georgia on my Mind,’ so everything’s
very ‘Georgia,’” said Jane Bayer, associate director of develop- ment for the museum. “We’ll have a peach dessert, and our deco- rations are going to be peach, and it’ll be very Southern.” Te 10:30 Band, a music group that played at one of the previ-
ous galas, will perform at the event, but the song list will remain a secret until the night of the dance. “We will definitely play some Georgia-influenced music, but
that’ll be a surprise,” Bayer said. Te museum’s 1775 Society will host the event, which starts at
6 p.m. with a silent auction. “Tis year we’re going to scale our auction down because we
felt we had too many items last year, and it was kind of over- whelming, so we’re concentrating on three categories this year: trips, local art and experiences,” Bayer said. “Te local artists here in the community are very generous to donate works of art.” At last year’s Benning Beginnings Gala, the auction raised
almost $100,000, which helped cover operating costs at the museum. Bayer said some favorite auction items will be return- ing at this year’s event. “Last year one of our items that you could buy was a sailing
adventure on one of the America’s Cup yachts, so it’s things like that,” Bayer said. “One of our perennial favorites is a villa in Italy for a week.” About 400 people attend the gala each year, which Bayer attri-
butes to the novelty of each event. “We do it differently every year, which seems to be what peo-
ple like, and it keeps them coming back,” Bayer said. “It’s such a unique setting to have a big formal event, in our Grand Hall sur- rounded by all the artifacts.” Tickets are $150 per person, and Bayer said she hopes this year’s theme draws a diverse crowd.
Columbus and the Valley 35 “Te crowd we get kind of depends on the theme,” Bayer said.
“We get a certain number of people who come every year, then we get some who seem attracted to that year’s particular theme.” Because the museum is curated by the Army and has such a
close connection to Fort Benning, many soldiers attend the event as well. “Anybody can buy a ticket and come,” Bayer said. “It is black-
tie, but it’s certainly open to everyone. We always have quite a few military come. Some of our members who are out of town and can’t come will donate their tickets to soldiers.” Bayer said the Grand Hall of the museum will be sure to impress
everyone who attends the event. Sponsorships from Aflac, TSYS, Global Payments, Amos-
Cheves Foundation, Hughston Clinic, W.C. Bradley Co., Jay Auto, St. Francis Hospital, Batson-Cook Construction and Hutchinson- Traylor Insurance help fund the event. C
Jack Pezold, Neely and Wesley Ker-Fox at the 2012 Gala
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