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FRASER — The Fraser First Booster Club is hosting its Blue Jean Ball in February with raffles, dinner and more.
The event will be held from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Feb. 7 at Vintage House, located at 31816 Utica Road. Tickets are $55 per person and can be purchased online at fraserfirst.com.
Vania Apps, president of the Fraser First Booster Club, said the ball started as a Valentine’s Day dance around 15 years ago and was held the Saturday before the holiday.
The event was originally held at Zuccaro’s Banquets & Catering, previously located in Clinton Township
“We always try to do as much of our business in Fraser as possible but at the time we could not turn down that kind of in-kind contribution,” Apps said of the decision to host the event outside of Fraser previously.
Over the years, the club worked with Vintage House after Zuccaro’s moved further away.
“Ever since, they’ve been super generous to us and very kind to work with us and hold the price down as best they can and still put on a great meal for the event,” Apps said.
She said the club noticed a fatigue for dressing up and that some people who wanted to attend felt they couldn’t because they didn’t have a partner, so a decision was made to change the vibe.
“And so, we turned into the Blue Jean Ball, making (it) more casual and it didn’t evolve around being a pair of people coming. You could just come (alone),” Apps said.
After that decision, they saw younger people attending.
Apps said the ball is their biggest fundraiser of the year and that the money helps support the club’s mission to build better parks.
“We firmly believe that parks really generate a quality of life for a city, and we work hand in hand with the city of Fraser in trying to create better parks for our city,” Apps said.
Their upcoming project is at Stephens Park, and the fundraising will go toward its first phase. They hope to see an amphitheater and places for kids to play, with intentions to make it a public space with many options.
The Blue Jean Ball will also include a bag raffle, a cheer wagon, a silent auction and more.
“And all of that helps us keep raising the money for match grants,” Apps said. “If the city needs a match, we hope to be able to contribute to that match grant and eventually, hopefully, dump all our fundraising into grants and match grants and city proposals and stuff like that.”
The club also contributes to school outdoor activities and other organizations to raise awareness about the effort in the community.
Sherry Stein, a member of the Fraser First Booster Club, said in an email the Blue Jean Ball brings people together for the purpose of building a stronger community and better parks.
“It takes so many incredible volunteers and generous sponsors to make it happen, and we’re truly grateful for every one of them and all our guests to this event each year,” Stein said in the email.
She also said she’s been a part of the club for a long time and that it continues because of the support of the community.
The club is still looking for sponsors for the ball. To find out more about the sponsorship levels, go to the Fraser First Booster Club’s website.
