Newport Beach resident and community activist Barbara Venezia is getting ready to throw a scary party, and she wants everyone to have a frightful time.
Barbara’s husband, Stan, serves on the OC Fairgrounds Board of Directors. She was asked to create a support group similar to the AIDS Services Foundation’s Friends of Dorothy Guild that would present two to three fundraising events each year.
The result is the Super Heroes Guild of Heroes Hall Veterans Museum at the OC Fair & Event Center.
The group’s initial fundraising event is Super Heroes Haunted Halloween Costume Gala, a Sleepy Hollow-inspired evening on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 6 to 11 p.m. at the OC Fair & Events Center.
Orange County Supervisor Michelle Steel is Honorary Chair. Event co-chairs are OC Fair & Event Center Board Member Sandra Cervantes and Barbara Venezia.
All proceeds will support the museum’s exhibitions and education programs that will serve an estimated 100,000 K-12 students annually through free tours and activities.
Supervisor Steel, who also took part in the first ever fundraiser for Heroes Hall last year, said, “It’s an honor to be part of this first Super Heroes Guild fundraiser for Orange County’s Heroes Hall Veterans Museum at the OC Fairgrounds. I am very proud of our community’s efforts to ensure the stories and sacrifices of our brave men and women are never forgotten. This festive event will be a wonderful time for everyone and a great way to remember and thank our veterans. I look forward to celebrating with everyone and to see the beautiful Heroes Hall when it’s completed.”
According to Venezia and Cervantes, the event is “a labor of love. The gala committee is made up of good friends who are dedicated, experienced and creative fundraisers, so guests are going to be in for an amazing evening. Heroes Hall Veterans Museum is a gift from the community to our veterans. We hope Halloween revelers from throughout Orange County will show their support.”
Tickets to the Super Heroes Haunted Halloween Costume Gala are $125 and are on sale now. The ticket purchase includes one-year membership in the Super Heroes Guild, dinner, drinks, dancing, silent auction, lots of scary fun stuff and costume contests. Sponsorship tables of 10 are also available for $2,500.
Tickets may be purchased online at ocheroeshall.org/haunted-halloween-gala.
According to information from the Super Heroes Guild, the Guild was created for the sole purpose of supporting the Heroes Hall Veteran’s Museum. The museum is dedicated to American veterans and its exhibitions and programs will tell the stories of veterans from Orange County and elsewhere. Heroes Hall will give the community a chance to become engaged in the stories, experiences and issues of our veterans. The museum is scheduled to be dedicated on Veterans Day, 2016 and open to the public in early 2017.
Super Heroes Haunted Halloween Costume Gala is being generously supported by: SPECTRA, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Orange County Employees Association (OCEA), Mirage Entertainment, Newport Signs and Graphics as well as the OC Fair and Event Center.
