Blue Ridge HealthCare Foundation to host "Denim and Diamonds" Gala - Morganton News Herald

The Blue Ridge HealthCare Foundation is offering a new look, time and location for its 6th annual gala.

The “Denim and Diamonds” gala will be held Saturday, Sept. 24 from 5-9 p.m. at Double C Acres farm in Morganton. Event organizers are encouraging those who attend to dress down for the rustic location.

Brandi Behlke, the foundation’s fund development specialist and event planner, said foundation staff members have set up a special Pinterest page to show examples of appropriate attire for the event.

Double C Acres farm encompasses 300 acres and includes a 5-acre pond, a 33-stall barn and an enclosed arena, according to the farm’s website, www.ccacres.com. Behlke said the location has a “fabulous view of Table Rock.”

The farm owners, the Thomas family, train horses and raise cattle. The family, who used to live in Florida, moved to Morganton when Karen Thomas’ father, Bob Cassata, purchased the property that became Double C Acres so his mother could be close to relatives, according to Carly Price, Karen and Sidney Thomas’ daughter. Price serves as the office manager and event planner for the farm.

“He decided to build this beautiful farm from the ground up, and went and toured race horse farms in Kentucky and got ideas to build the barn and how to landscape the facility,” Price said of her grandfather. “He had a vision and went with it.”

The website said Sidney Thomas is a horse trainer with decades of experience.

“We have been blessed with over 80 World Championship titles, and are now the leader of the American Paint Horse Association World Championships,” a statement on the website read.

Price said she loves event planning and was excited to partner with the Blue Ridge HealthCare Foundation to make the gala a success.

“They came up and took a tour and fell in love with the facility,” Price said. “It’s a great cause they support every year. I have loved getting to know them and be a part of all their planning activities. The farm is a beautiful place to host it.”

Behlke agreed.

“We’ve got a theme of Denim and Diamonds, and what better way to not only highlight a beautiful area of Burke County, but to also to highlight Denim and Diamonds at its best,” Behlke said. “It really goes with the theme.”

Behlke said the foundation has planned many fun activities for attendees to enjoy.

“We will have all the things that made our galas in the past so successful: wonderful food, great entertainment, live music, a silent auction and casino games,” Behlke said. “But this year, we will have some line dancing, carriage rides and a new photo booth.”

She said Tim Hall and Buffalo Country of Hudson will perform at the gala. Hall describes his band’s music on his Facebook page as “real country, from the covers to the originals.”

The cost to attend the gala is $100 per person. Behlke said the deadline to RSVP is Sept. 16.

The gala is held each year to raise money for charitable causes. Previous causes have included the school nurse program, patient and family services and diabetes education.

This year, the gala will benefit a grant program that will support healthy eating and active living programs in public, private and charter schools in Burke, McDowell and Caldwell Counties. Behlke said each school can tailor their use of the grant based on what their needs are.

“We wanted to do something that would impact a large number of children,” Behlke said. “We understand that their health needs are extremely important. We wanted to do what we could to ensure they’re starting out with healthy lifestyles.”

She said that those not able to attend the gala can still support the foundation by purchasing tickets for a raffle the foundation is holding with Elite Island Resorts, who will be offering chances to win three different Caribbean vacations to two destinations in Antigua and one in St. Lucia. The tickets are $20 each. The drawing will be held at the gala, but Behlke said people do not have to be present to win.

“Not only are we going to have a great time, but we’re going to raise money for a very good cause,” Behlke said.

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