Museum hosts glow-stick dance party
Jul. 10—Some families who dared to brave the rain Saturday evening had a little glow stick and black light fun with the Anniston Museums and Gardens "Let's Glow Crazy" family dance.
The event center at Longleaf Botanical Gardens in Anniston glowed in multi-colored neon, lit with several black lights, glowing balloons and strobe lights. Acosta Entertainment set up a DJ booth in the back, and several staff members from the Anniston Museums and Gardens manned a food and refreshments table filled with pizza, chicken fingers and treats.
Anniston Museums and Gardens' assistant director Sarah Burke stood with other staff members clad in a glowing orange tutu and brightly colored face paint.
"The core of our attendees here that visit us are families, so we try to cater and create events that are perfect for them and people of all ages," Burke said.
Because the event was held at the Longleaf Botanical Gardens event center, the theme for the party highlighted fireflies. In addition to dancing, face paint and a black light photo booth, kids could make crafts of a firefly to take home with them, Burke said.
Three-year-old Ava Talley sat at the crafts table with her mom and dad coloring a black piece of paper in the shape of a glowing lightning bug.
"The colors are really pretty," Talley said.
The event's theme was created by the museum's fundraising committee; a four-person council that makes decisions and drums up ideas to create funds for the entire campus, according to Program Manager Amy Roberts.
"We sit down, and we spitball ideas and we come up with whatever we think the best ones are going to be, and role with what we come up with," Roberts said.
Money raised through the event would help the museum fund its education and exhibits, according to Burke.
Kids were apprehensive to get out on the dance floor at first, but in no time the space was full of tiny people moving and grooving in the multi-colored glow. Even some of the parents got in on the fun, dancing with their kids.
