Old Manse to Host Great Gatsby Fall Ball

What happens when the “Great American Novel” meets “Mosses from an Old Manse?”

A giant party. That’s what.

Later this month, Trails End Cafe and the Old Manse will team up to throw “The Great Gatsby Fall Ball.” They’ll get the party started with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, with dinner and dancing to follow from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

The idea for the Gatsby Fall Ball was hatched a little while back when Tom Beardsley, historic site manager for the Old Manse, dropped into Trail’s End Café for baked beans.

While there, he and café owner Elizabeth Akehurst-Moore got to talking, and their conversation made its way from beans to Gilded Era vs. Transcendentalism.

“It all came together and we decided it was crazy enough to do an event,” said Akerhurst-Moore. “It’s going to be over-the-top and awesome.”

Think gin gimlets, a Rolls Royce and a three-course 1920s Waldorf Astoria inspired menu catered by Trail’s End. And top that off with an art-deco cake and live band playing 20s and 30s music.

A dance floor and tent will be set up on the Old Manse lawn, but complimentary tours of the literary landmark will be offered, as well.

The Great Gatsby Fall Ball is the kind of public-private partnership Beardsley appreciates as a way to raise awareness about the Old Manse and invite locals to look at it in a different way than they might typically.

Tickets are $100 each, with 10 seats to a table.

What: The Great Gatsby Fall Ball

When: Saturday, Sept. 28; cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m., dinner and dancing at 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Old Manse, 269 Monument St., Concord

How Much: $100

Call 978-610-6633 to reserve tickets.