Ava Gardner Festival October 7, 2011

For the first time since its inception, the 2011 Ava Gardner Festival will pay tribute to Frank Sinatra, the man Ava declared as the “love of her life”. This year’s festival will open on Friday evening, October 7th with a cake and champagne reception and will continue through Sunday, October 9th. Festivities on Saturday include the new Frank & Ava exhibits, heritage tours, and screenings of classic Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner films at Smithfield Cinema 10.

“Frank Sinatra would risk everything to love Ava Gardner during a time in his life when he struggled with his career,” said Donna Bailey-Taylor, “It was not an ‘easy’ relationship and ultimately it would crumble under the pressure from the press, the studios, and their own jealousy. But the fascination of their lives, love and friendship continues to be written about over fifty years later, and the museum is thrilled to open this new exhibit at the 2011 festival.”

At the Gala on Friday, October 7th, the museum will unveil its newest exhibit, Frank & Ava: Their Lives, Love and Friendship, as well as, a newly designed main gallery exhibit. Tickets to the Reception are $25 per person and attendees will be treated to a one-of-a-kind cake from Carlo’s Bakery, all the way from Hoboken, NJ, Frank’s hometown.

“The museum board had recently seen a cake designed for the City of Hoboken featuring Frank Sinatra, and reached out to the bakery to have a “Frank & Ava” cake made especially for this year’s celebration,” state Bailey-Taylor, “Involving the local bakery brings a bit of Frank’s hometown to Ava’s hometown, and we are pleased the local Hoboken History Museum has assisted the museum with digital materials for the exhibit.”

On Saturday, October 8th, heritage tours will be scheduled throughout the day at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Visitors will be given a guide tour of 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 $12 per person. All-day admission to the Museum on Saturday and Sunday will be $7.00 for everyone.

During the Festival, classic Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra films will be shown at the Smithfield Cinema 10 and titles tentative scheduled are: “From Here to Eternity”, “Ocean’s Eleven”, and “Pal Joey”, and “Bhowani Junction”, “Knights of the Round Table” and “Lone Star”. Films will run Friday night through Sunday, and movie goers will receive a festival gift bag with museum admission passes valid for six months.

The Ava Gardner Museum is pleased again to partner with the Downtown Smithfield Development Corporation as they host the 5th Annual Ava Gardner Independent Film Festival. The Independent Film Festival is separate from the Museum activities, and runs concurrently with museum events in Downtown Smithfield. For more information about the 5th 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 $67.99 + 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.

The Ava Gardner Museum is located in downtown Smithfield, at 325 E. Market Street and more information may be found on the museum website, www.avagardner.org or please call directly to purchase advanced tickets, 919-934-5830. The museum is open Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm and Sunday 2pm-5pm with admission of $7.00 adults, $6.00 seniors, military, teens and groups, and $5.00 children 6-12.

Official Website: http://www.avagardner.org