Port Washington Arts Group To Honor 2 Community Members At Gala

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — A Port Washington nonprofit dedicated to supporting local arts and art education plans to its annual Red Party gala fundraiser next month, where two people will be honored for making a difference in the community.

The HEARTS PW event is planned Feb. 13 at The Gym at Landmark on Main Street. Click here to find tickets. Olga Berest, founder and director of the Berest Dance Center, and Emily Baxter, a teacher at John Philip Sousa Elementary School, will be honored at the three-hour gala, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Organizers told Patch the theme of this year's event is a sock hop, referring to a '50s era dance historically held in schools for teens in which dancers removed their hard-sole shoes to avoid damaging the gymnasium floor.

All proceeds for the event directly go toward creating grants for the 2020-21 fiscal year. This means teachers get money to create more art programs in public schools and community groups get money to create public artworks, such as downtown murals. Those interested in seeing other grant recipients can check out HEART PW's site.