NEWBERG, Ore. — The Chehalem Cultural Center is inviting the community to trade ball gowns and black ties for paper airplanes and bottle tosses during this year’s Night of the Moon fundraiser.
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On Sept. 27, the annual fundraiser will take the form of “Central School Night,” a school carnival-style evening that organizers hope will welcome a broader slice of the community into the cultural center.
“We wanted to lower the barrier of entry or the expectation of what it means to support the Cultural Center,” Executive Director Sean Andries said. “We want to encourage people to feel personally invested in this, to feel like this is their place. Because it is.”
The Chehalem Cultural Center opened in 2010 inside Newberg’s former Central School, which had served the community since 1889 before closing in 1995. The building, once headed for decline, was redeveloped into a hub for arts, culture, and community connection.
Operated in partnership with the Chehalem Park and Recreation District, who owns the Central School building, the center now houses art galleries, a ballroom, classrooms, a ceramics studio, meeting spaces, and the 250-seat LaJoie Theatre. Its programming includes concerts, exhibitions, festivals, and classes for all ages.
“There are a lot of people who I see in the cultural center with some consistency who are still learning about the different programming we offer,” Andries said. “This event, we hope, will help people explore all we have available to them and show them what a special place this is.”
The center is funded through a mix of earned income, grants, and individual contributions, along with a partnership with CPRD, with helps the center ensure 85 cents of every dollar is going directly to increasing accessibility.
“That money means more brushes in hands, more scholarships, more discounts we can offer to people who want to have their events here,” Andries said.
Its mission is to connect community and culture by providing accessible space and resources for creativity and collaboration.
“We’re here to serve this community, and we want people to see this as a place to share their culture,” Andries said.
Traditionally, the Night of the Moon gala has been a more standard philanthropic affair with a performance, auction, and catered dinner. Andries said the event has morphed over the past few years, largely spurred by the pandemic and a desire for more inclusive fundraising pushed staff to rethink how to engage the community.
“Philanthropy historically has been an exclusive thing,” said Director of Development Lindsey Coates. “But equity is about giving the resources you have — time, talent, treasure, testimony. Whatever you have to give, that’s a beautiful thing.”
Andries added, “A lot of people have this idea that the gift they have to give isn’t large enough. The funny thing is — I’ve had that conversation with people at every tax bracket — people giving $5 or 15, $500 or $5000. The reality is there’s always going to be someone that’s a little higher up on the ladder to you, but that’s not what its about. It’s about feeling invested in this space — you’re space — no matter the contribution size.’”
The carnival runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m at the Cultural Center. Admission is $5 for ages 13 and older — children 12 and under get in free — and includes six carnival game tickets. Games will be spread throughout the building so guests can explore spaces like the ceramics studio, classrooms, and upstairs galleries, which many community members may not have seen before.
Additional tickets will be sold for classic games such as a paper airplane throwing contest, bottle toss, and the “Wheel of Naming Rights.” Funds raised will go toward art supplies, scholarships, and programming that help keep the center accessible.
Following the carnival, guests can choose to stay for a more formal fundraiser in the LaJoie Theatre at 7 p.m., featuring a live auction with exclusive experiences — including a Coppola-themed film dinner and a paddle raise.
Andries said they wanted to focus the event around the Central School after opening the LaJoie Theatre and hearing stories from former students, including musician local Ben Rice, recalling his first music class on the very stage he was performing on years later.
“This has always been a nexus of people’s energies,” Andries said. “Leaning back into that heritage over the years, we want this to be a place where the community gathers and celebrates together.”
Purchase tickets for the event and learn more at the Chehalem Cultural Center website.
Disclosure: Newsberg is an in-kind sponsor of the Chehalem Cultural Center’s Night of the Moon event. This story was not reviewed or edited by Cultural Center staff prior to publishing.
