Grab your gowns and venetian masks and get ready to dance the night away at Rock Hall Museum’s The Raven’s Requiem- Poe’s Masquerade Ball in their new educational center.
Located at 199 Broadway in Lawrence, Rock Hall was an 18th-century plantation that was transformed into a museum, owned and operated by the Town of Hempstead since 1953.
The ball is on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. and is Edgar Alan Poe themed. It will feature a guest visit by a Poe impersonator who will be reading soliloquies and interacting with the guests.
“It is the first time we have the space to do some kind of dance and we’re very excited,” said Amy Vacchio, director of Rock Hall. “ The gentleman who Edgar Allan Poe has been with us before, he’s amazing and never leaves character.”
Vacchio said that ever since she started working at the museum 25-years ago, she had always wanted to throw a costume party dance.
“It has become more popular over the years with different shows that have the opulence of dancing like in ‘The Gilded Age’,” Vacchio said. “The idea of having a ball has always appealed to me.”
She said that the Poe theme wrote itself due to his work “The Mask of the Red Death,” the storylines that go with him and the time of year.
“Halloween will be over, but it’s in keeping with the fall theme,” she added. “Hopefully, if this goes well next year will be a different theme and type of dance.”
Admission is $100 for non-members and $75 for members and seniors it includes appetizers, a DJ, different forms of entertainment and a free tarot card reading. There will also be raffles for purchase along with a door prize.
“The museum will also be on display and because it’s so spooky and people love all that, we will have the tarot card reading in the museum itself,” Vacchio said. “You’re going to get a little bit of the historical aspect of the museum as well. Anytime Rock Hall is lit by candlelight it’s fabulous.”
The ball serves as the introduction to the new educational center, and attendees are encouraged to don their most opulent masquerade attire.
“It’s keeping with the 1880s era with the Hewlett’s and the Gilded Age,” she added. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s a night out with music, fun and dressing up.”
This has been in the works for six months and a small committee of members of Friends of Rock Hall along with Vacchio has been apart of the process.
Linda Sava, committee member, has been a Friend of Rock Hall for 22 years but has visited the museum before getting involved.
“It’s been long-awaited, just like the education center,” Sava said. “It was really Amy who had the hoping and wishing for this to happen and now that this is happening it’s such a wonderful thing.”
Sava, a Woodmere resident, said that they are transforming the education center into an immersive experience for all who attend.
“We’re hoping it’ll be a success,” she added. “In hopes this will be the first annual masquerade ball at Rock Hall. It’s been such a transformation of the museum and the ability for the museum to reach out to a much wider audience than just the Five Towns.”
To RSVP for the masquerade ball, call Rock Hall Museum’s office at (516) 239-1157. Checks can be made payable to the Friends of Rock Hall.
