Ava Gardner Festival October 8, 2010

Each year the Ava Gardner Museum celebrates Ava's life and career by hosting the Ava Gardner Festival. This annual event includes heritage tours, screenings of classic Ava Gardner films, and special exhibits.

This year’s festival will kickoff during the Ava Gardner Festival Gala on Friday evening, October 8th and will continue Saturday, October 9th from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. The 2010 Ava Gardner Festival marks the 10th anniversary of the Ava Gardner Museum.

In August of 1999, the Museum’s board made an investment in downtown Smithfield by purchasing and renovating a 6,400 square foot building that became the permanent home for the Museum’s vast collection. In October 2000, the new Ava Gardner Museum opened its doors and has continued to draw national and even worldwide attention with approximately 12,000 visitors each year. The Sixth Annual Ava Gardner Festival will celebrate the many years of hard work to bring the Ava Gardner Collection to a permanent location.

At the Gala on Friday, October 8th, the Museum will unveil its newest exhibit in the Museum’s largest showcase, Ava on the Small Screen. Ava’s last film projects were two made for television movies (The Long Hot Summer and Harem), one mini-series (A.D.), and multiple appearances in the television series Knot’s Landing, all of which were received with positive reviews of her performance. Costumes from all of these projects will be on display, along with interpretive panels detailing Ava’s career on television. This exhibit will run through the end of May 2011. Tickets to the Gala are $50 per person and all-day admission to the Museum on Saturday, October 9th is $5.00 for everyone.

On Saturday, October 9th, heritage tours will be scheduled throughout the day. Visitors will be shown points of interest in Ava's hometown, including Ava's birthplace, the Teacherage where she grew up, the Howell Theater where Ava first went to the movies, and will end with a visit to her gravesite at Sunset Memorial Park. Heritage tour passes are $10 per person.

During the Festival, the classic Ava Gardner films The Barefoot Contessa and The Night of the Iguana will be screened at the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield during the afternoon of Saturday, October 9th. That evening at 7:30 PM, the musical Show Boat will be screened at the Neuse River Amphitheatre, 200 Front St., Smithfield Town Commons. All film screenings are free to the public.

The Ava Gardner Museum is also pleased to partner with the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation as they host the Fourth Annual Ava Gardner Independent Film Festival. The Independent Film aspect is separate from the Museum, but will run prior and concurrently with the Museum event in Downtown Smithfield. For more information about the Fourth Annual Ava Gardner Independent Film Festival, please call Chris Johnson, Executive Director of the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation, at 919-934-0887.

For accommodations, two local hotels are offering special Ava Gardner Festival discounts. The Best Western Smithfield Inn (919-989-4047) is offering a special rate of $64.00 + tax and the Sleep Inn & Suites of Smithfield (919-209-2360) is offering a 15% discount on rates. Call the hotel directly and mention the Ava Gardner Festival to take advantage of these special discounts.

For more information about the festival, including Festival Package rates, please call the museum at 919-934-5830.