BRATTLEBORO — Ruggles & Hunt, purveyors of clothing, gifts, home furnishings, and creative toys, with stores in Walpole, N.H., and Brattleboro, is putting on a fashion show at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m.
Proceeds support the museum's work with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in Head Start classrooms throughout southern Vermont, according to a news release. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door, and include admission to the fashion show, one drink, and delicious finger food.
Tickets are available online at www.brattleboromuseum.org, by calling 802-257-0124, ext. 101, or in person at the museum or either of Ruggles & Hunt's two stores.
“We've been doing this for years in Walpole,” said Ruggles & Hunt owner Vicki Gohl, “raising money for the Cocoa Farming Futures Initiative, a nonprofit connected to Burdick's Restaurant. Since we opened our Brattleboro store in May 2016, we've been looking for a similar opportunity to give back to this great community."
BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld said he was thrilled when Gohl suggested raising funds for the Museum.
“Of course I said yes immediately,” he said. “Ruggles & Hunt is a great neighbor to have here in downtown Brattleboro. They fill a niche that was missing on Main Street, and Vicki and her team bring amazing energy to everything they do. That they've chosen to raise money to support our Head Start program is icing on the cake - unexpected and much appreciated."
Gohl says the fashion show is less about haute couture and more about fun, with a heavy dose of community spirit: “Our 'models' are by no means professionals. They're our neighbors, friends, family members, customers, and kids, and they come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and genders.”
With the fashion show taking place one week before Halloween, guests are encouraged to get creative with their own outfits. Up to $400 in gift certificates to Ruggles & Hunt and other great prizes will be given out to the guests with the best hat, mask, and costume.
Net proceeds from the fashion show will help fund BMAC's Head Start Arts Partnership program. Since 2001, the museum has partnered with the social services agency Early Education Services to provide art and music instruction in 15 Head Start classrooms in and around Brattleboro. The program serves approximately 250 infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, many of whom come from families struggling with addiction, homelessness, and food insecurity.