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By Christy Simo
The Mothball is back and better than ever.
After a two-year hiatus, Grant Park’s oldest fundraiser returns with a new venue, a new sound, and more fun.
Come party with your neighbors Saturday, October 19, from 8:00pm to midnight at The Arts Exchange, 750 Kalb Street, for the 38th annual Grant Park Mothball, a themed costume party that benefits the neighborhood.
This year, it’ll be a real HOOTENANY! The party will feature some boot-stompin’ bluegrass music, a silent auction, snacks and treats by local restaurants and shops, a costume contest, and a Hootenany Dance Off with cash prizes and more.
“We have a great band lined up, which we’ll be revealing on September 15. “It’s going to make this Mothball one to remember,” says Cullen Boudreaux, this year’s Mothball subcommittee chair. “Proceeds from the Mothball go to the Grant Park Neighborhood Association, which uses the funds for everything from transportation improvements and support for the Grant Park Farmers Market to grants for our neighborhood schools and Crime Stoppers efforts. It’s a fun way to give back to your neighborhood and meet new neighbors and friends in the process.”
The Mothball costume party is a Grant Park tradition that spans almost four decades. Back in the 1970s, it started out as a potluck dinner to thank everyone who volunteered for the Tour of Homes and was traditionally held the same weekend as the Tour.
As time passed, the party grew bigger until it turned into its own event. Past themes have included everything from Moulin Rouge and pirates to James Bond and Saturday Night Live.
“The Mothball was so much fun,” says Rick Jones, a longtime Grant Park resident who chaired the Mothball committee in 1999. That year, more than 850 people attended, and it was when the “table-decorating contest” made its debut. “It was an international theme, and we had stilt walkers, people playing Peruvian guitars, and a group of local at-risk kids playing the kettle drums. On the night of the Mothball, you could hear the drums echoing throughout the neighborhood.”
Tickets are $30 in advance; $40 at the door, and a limited number of VIP tables will be available. All proceeds go back into the Grant Park community, so be sure to bring your friends.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the GPMothball Facebook page or go towww.gpna.org/mothball. If you want to volunteer for the event, weekly Mothball meetings are held at 7:00pm at Ziba’s Restaurant & Wine Bar, 560 Boulevard. The Mothball is looking for “picker” musicians and local restaurant and retail establishments interested in contributing to the Mothball. For details on how you can participate, contact Cullen Boudreaux at 404-872-0003.
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