An event that has proven in its first two years to have been extremely popular as well as one of the most unique concepts ever to be staged in Albany, will soon be staged for its third annual run.

The All For Benny Gala and downtown dinner is set to be held again on the third Saturday in September, making it a September 21 date for 2019.

Sponsored again by the Clinton County Community Foundation, the All For Benny Gala is an outdoor gathering centered around a period of socializing in an open-air setting, leading up to a sit-down, white tablecloth meal, underneath the stars in downtown Albany.

With a multi-purpose goal, the gala is staged as an event to raise awareness of the projects and goals of the Clinton County Community Foundation and raise funds for a named project being sponsored by the Foundation.

This year, like last year, profits from the event will benefit the now under construction Farmer’s Market facility being built on Washington Street, between the Clinton County News and Albany Building Supply farm store.

The All For Benny Gala will again be staged in an open-air setting along Cumberland Street on the Courthouse Square, with a social hour getting underway at 5:30 p.m. and a catered meal to begin at 6:30 p.m.

The All For Benny Gala was the brainstorm of a group of Clinton County sisters – the Owens Girls – who first pitched the idea to the Foundation three years ago.

Jessica Owens Sullivan, Mikki Owens Simmons and Jennifer Owens Harlan, the daughters of Mike and Sue Harlan, have worked together with the Foundation since that premier 2017 gala to continue making it both successful and now a looked forward to tradition for downtown Albany.

Since first working with the Foundation on the 2017 gala, Jessica Owens Sullivan has been added to the Advisory Board for the organization.

She is joined on the Advisory Board by Arica Collins (Chair), Al Gibson (Secretary/Treasurer), David Cross, Mike Davis, Keith McWhorter, Glenn Ray Smith and Steven Tallent.

Sullivan grew up in Clinton County and spent several years of her adult professional life here before taking a position with Kentucky Farm Bureau that saw her transfer to the Bullitt County, Kentucky area for the past few years.

In preparing for the gala last year, she noted that people often don’t realize just how much they love their home community, until they move away.

She told the Clinton County News last week of just what the work of the Foundation, and the success of this gala, means to her.

“This time of year is becoming a favorite. While I hate to see summer fade, it brings the excitement of seeing old friends and getting to enjoy a first class meal under the stars in downtown Albany,” Sullivan said. “All the while highlighting a group that is near and dear to me.”

She explained that she was first approached about getting involved with the Foundation several years ago, and soon became a strong supporter of the program and its goals.

“I remember David Cross approaching me four or five years ago about the Clinton County Community Foundation and I immediately fell in love with its mission! This group, simply put, wants to ‘provide an avenue for developing philanthropic funds for projects that enhance our community and make it a better place to live,’ ” she said.

One of the ways the public is able to get on board with the Foundation is to become a member of the 205 Club, a concept designed around the fact that Clinton County has 205 square miles inside its borders. Members are asked to pledge to contribute $205 a year,for five years.

“I got to be one of the first 205 people to give $205 for five years to help launch the success of this group. I knew that I could do that to help provide that avenue to a place (and people) that I love so much,” Sullivan said. “We still have room in this group if you want in!”

Sullivan also explained that in her work to give back to the community she grew up in and still calls “home”, she thought back to people who worked in community minded projects when she was growing up, and while there were many, one in particular stood out in her memories.

“Growing up, I was blessed and frankly, a little naïve about community involvement. I thought everyone was community-minded…and they’re not. I was fortunate enough to be around difference makers, like Brian Thompson,” she said. “Brian did so much for this county. His work in Project Graduation and the Foothills Festival was second to none. These two events would have never had the success they did without his help.

“He paved a path for my generation to step up and take the reins. He showed us what hard work, long nights and selfless giving look like,” Sullivan noted. “I’ve enjoyed watching others, from my age group, step out and work to make Clinton County better. It’s fun to see.”

Growing up in rural Clinton County surrounded by her parents’ and her neighbors’ farmlands, Sullivan easily recognized the importance of the agriculture industry to Kentucky, and especially to small communities like Albany and Clinton County.

Furthermore, her background with her job with Kentucky Farm Bureau has given her even more insight and knowledge about the importance of agriculture to our community.

With that, she has also been quick to be on board in her support of the Clinton County Community Foundation’s project that will again benefit from the September 21 gala – the new Farmer’s Market.

“This year, like last, we’re putting our proceeds to the continuance of our local Farmer’s Market. In addition to the money the All for Benny dinner raised last year; the foundation was also left money, land was purchased, a grant was given and the Clinton County Farm Bureau Federation gave money to help push this project into its completion stage,” Sullivan said. “We are excited to see the Farmer’s Market serve as a trading place for our local farmers and a great place for residents to purchase high-quality, great tasting food to feed their families; in addition to being an attractive addition to the city skyline!”

The Farmer’s Market project is currently in the early construction phases, and while the project did go through a slow-down for a few weeks while state permits were acquired, the facility should be completed this fall, with plans to be in full service for the community by the spring of 2020.

The Foundation has supported a host of projects and programs in the area, both as a solo organization making grants, as well as an organization that has partnered with other groups to support projects and ideas that will make Albany and Clinton County a better place.

Among those who have benefited from CCCF funds include the project that completed improvements to the baseball and softball fields at Mountain View Recreation Park, the Albany Fire Department, Furever Friends Spay and Neuter Clinic, Kentucky Changers Project among others.

In addition, the Foundation has partnered with other organizations to bring local projects to life such as the new playground equipment at Mountain View Park and the summer youth feeding project.

The Foundation has also sponsored musical acts for the last three years during the Foothills Festival, and will last year brought a storytelling event to the Foothills Festival.

The brainchild of CCCF Chairperson Arica Collins, the Foothills storytelling program was a crowd pleasing “learning experience” last year at the Foothills Festival, and was so popular that the Foundation will once again sponsor a similar series of shows for the 2019 Foothills.

The stories that will be featured during the program at the Foothills, will once again be taken from the works of local historian and blog writer, Randy Speck, who pens on his blog under the title of “The Notorious Meddler.”

Speck has been working lately on re-telling the stories that were first told by L.S. York of Albany.

York would often contribute to a column that was written daily in the Louisville Courier Journal titled “Greetings” and focused on folklore, humor and barnyard science.

Leander Sylvester York was a merchant and postmaster before embarking in 1897 on a 35-year career as a school teacher in Clinton, McCreary and Wayne counties, and in South Georgia. He served as Superintendent of Clinton County schools from 1922 to 1929.

The Foundation sponsored story telling shows during the upcoming Foothills Festival will be centered around those York writings, with portrayals by local actors Donovan and Amanda Hatfield and Jimmy Simmons.

Back to the details of the September 21 gala, Sullivan reminded the community that the name for the All For Benny event leans on the “legend” of how Albany was named in the first place.

Sullivan says she turned to the local legend of how Albany supposedly got its name as a way to mix a little fun into the event and at the same time, give it a name that everyone would remember.

“In case you’ve never heard the story, the local legend says that Albany was named in 1838 when during the vote to determine the location of the county seat, patrons of Benjamin Dowell’s tavern shouted ‘All for Benny’, which led to ‘All Benny’ then to ‘Albany’, Sullivan explained. “No, we don’t know if the story is true, that’s what makes it a legend.”

Tickets to the “All For Benny” event are $50 per person, and must be made in advance with a firm RSVP policy, which is being adhered to strictly because of the need to be able to know in advance the food quantity that will be needed for the dinner, as well as the specific temperature for each steak being prepared.

The deadline for making reservations is this Monday, September 16.

If interested in attending the All for Benny dinner please contact Jessica Owens Sullivan by text or call at 502-640-9235 or you can email jessica.sullivan@kyfb.com.

In addition, dinner reservations and payment of $50 per person can be made in person to Al Gibson at the Clinton County News, 116 N. Washington Street in Albany.

Jessica needs to know whether guests prefer chicken breast or beef fillet for their dinner. Fillets will be cooked to order with temperatures at medium rare, medium or medium well.

While there will be some short presentations during the gala, and likely a guest speaker, the main attraction of the evening is getting to enjoy the company of people who love the community and enjoying a sit-down, white tablecloth meal, underneath the night lights and stars.

The meal will once again be catered by Hunter’s Bar-B-Que and local musicians will be on hand to set the mood for the evening.