Elisabet Ney Museum Festival Aims For Austin Grant Funds

AUSTIN, TX — As part of this year's "Partners in Preservation: Main Streets" campaign, an outdoor festival is slated later this month at the Elisabet Ney Museum, which is competing for a share of $2 million in grant money.

The event featuring polka bands, costume contest, food trucks, art and more titled "Polkapocalypse: Through These Doors" doubles as a public open house voting event. Scheduled on Sunday, Oct. 27, the event is part of the 2019 Partners In Preservation: Main Streets Campaign. The museum is among the sites competing for a share of a grant from American Express and the National Trust For Historic Preservation.

In conjunction with the campaign, public voting is now open through Oct. 29 on VoteYourMainStreet.org. Attendees of the event can cast their votes there. At the end of the campaign, the community that receives the most in-person votes during their open house event will receive a special $50,000 grant., organizers explained.

“Polkapocalypse: Through These Doors” will feature multiple polka bands sshowcasing Tejano, Czech, German, Honky Tonk, Gypsy, and Norteño cultures. A costume contest, dancing, food trucks, custom T-shirt printing, and a participatory art installation commemorating the upcoming centennial of the 19th Amendment are also scheduled features.

DETAILS

WHEN: Sunday, October 27, 12:00 PM – 5:30 PM

WHERE: 304 East 44th Street, Austin, TX 78751

MORE: Partners in Preservation is a community-based partnership in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awards preservation grants to historic places across the country.

Through this partnership, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation seek to increase the public's awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States and to preserve America's historic and cultural places. The program also hopes to inspire long-term support from local citizens for the historic places at the heart of their communities.

This year’s program will have a special emphasis on historic buildings and sites that celebrate the contributions of women in Main Street communities across America to honor the upcoming 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment.