UNION — Catherine Creek Community Center is throwing a party and one thing is a must: your masquerade mask.

The center’s semi-formal Masquerade Ball is happening Saturday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m. to midnight at Eastern Oregon Livestock Show’s clubhouse, 760 E. Delta.

Advance tickets are $35 single or $65 for couples and are available online at catherinecreekcommunitycenter.com. The price increases by $10 if purchased at the door. The ball is for ages 21 and older.

The evening features a buffet dinner, silent auction and live music by Eye For An Eye (I4NI) with Christopher Bechtel, Jeff Carman, Mark Emerson, Robert Minarich and Scott Arnson.

The Loveland Safe Ride program will be available to ensure everyone makes it home safe. All funds will support the center’s operational costs and community outreach programs.

About the center

Catherine Creek Community Center will celebrate its third anniversary in February 2024.

Terra Richter, president of the board for Friends of the Historic Union Community Hall, said that six Union women began a project in 2019 to buy the 100-year-old Methodist Church, which was in need of repair and renovation.

The dream became reality with grants, sponsors, volunteers and community support when the Oregon-Idaho United Methodist Conference dropped the purchase price as an in-kind donation. That action helped the community center receive grants for restoration, program development and operational costs.

Richter said the renovation has included a new ADA-accessible bathroom, roof repair, upgraded wiring, updated lighting, new flooring, an updated commercial kitchen and repaired brick and plaster.

The historic stained glass is being repaired, and boards are currently in place of those windows.

As for programs, since opening in April 2020, the center has offered a Backpack Program, community meals, an afterschool youth program, entrepreneurial education, a food bank, music classes, “kids in the kitchen” events, a monthly farmers market, summer camps and more.

The center is also available as a meeting space for community organizations.

“We could not have made this happen without our incredibly supportive community and grant supporters,” Richter said. “We are so grateful for all the support we have we received to make the Community Center a success.”