Millburn Wants You To Get Muddy To Help With Hurricane Ida Relief

MILLBURN, NJ — Almost a month after celebrities flocked to the Met Ball in New York City for a night of fashion and fundraising, Millburn will host its own charity fashion show — The Mud Ball.

Organized by director Wendy Missan in coordination with Explore Millburn-Short Hills, the Mud Ball will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16 as a fundraiser for Millburn businesses that have been damaged by Hurricane Ida flooding.

The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Millburn Avenue between Main Street and Town Hall.

Inspired by the New York Times photo of muddied dresses from Millburn’s Highline Fashion, the event will include a runway show featuring looks from local clothing stores modeled by Millburn students, as well as DJ music and “A Taste of Millburn” food samplings from restaurants along Millburn Avenue.

Missan said the image from the New York Times has become a symbol of the destruction from that day and that this event will serve as a way to “reclaim that dress for something good.”

“I just felt like it would be an incredible moment to rewrite a story of a town that was knocked to its knees and see the resiliency of a town being able to come together and stand back up,” Missan said. “I think that’s an incredibly powerful story to tell. It’s like rewriting the story to one of hopefulness. To celebrate these people that have been so damaged.”

Missan said all of the fashion stores in town will be providing three looks each for the runway show, and the goal is to auction them off at the end of the event. There will also be a larger online auction starting next week where people can buy outfits up until the day of the Mud Ball.

Proceeds will go toward Explore Millburn’s Hurricane Ida relief fund, but Missan said she is also working on setting up a separate grant for businesses outside of the Special Improvement District that were also damaged from the storm, such as Bernie’s Tire & Auto on Millburn Ave.

Two Ticket Options

There are two options for tickets at the event. For general admission, people can buy a suggested ticket amount for $25 to have access to the many food samples that will be available. The other option is an $85 sit-down dinner catered by La Strada that will include an appetizer, entree, a side dish and a dessert. Missan said La Strada was badly damaged by the storm, so this is a way to infuse money back into the restaurant.

Missan explained that many people in the community have pooled their resources into this event. She helped organize a group of women of all different expertise — from fashion to marketing and auction experts — and many local restaurants have offered to supply food for the event, despite losing a lot of refrigeration from storm damage.

“It’s just a very unified feeling,” Missan said. “As I’m putting this together, it’s just so heartwarming. People are calling me that I haven’t even reached out to to help.”

Pure Barre in downtown is offering up their space for the models — or “muddles” as Missan joked — to get dressed and DOLCE Salon & Spa volunteered to do all the makeup and hair for free

Missan said she has some surprises up her sleeve and encourages people to come out in support. People can RSVP by emailing millburnmudball@gmail.com or can purchase tickets through Eventbrite.

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