Virginia Highlands Festival hosts Diamond Gala: Dancing, dinner and more

ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) – The Virginia Highlands Festival hosted its Diamond Gala on Friday. The dinner and dance celebration was held at The Marsha Washington Inn.

On Friday, guests attended dinner in the Grand Ballroom and free dance lessons in the Appalachian Ballroom with instructor Sho Rich, a certified Arthur Murray instructor, a
professional classical ballet dancer and a national champion of ballroom dancing.

“The Gala is a reimagined throwback to the previous balls and promenades held by the Festival,” said Seth Ritchie, chairperson of music for this year’s festival. “It’s something we wanted to keep in line with antiquity but also evolve into an event that patrons can look forward to.”

This year’s special guests were “Good Shot Judy,” the Mid-Atlantic’s number one high-octane swing band. The band delivers classic vocal jazz that recreates a nostalgic nightclub atmosphere.

Dierdre Cole, executive producer of the Virginia Highlands Festival, said the night “feeds the human spirit.”

“To see us all come together in one room and other folks doing this that we’ve never met before is like making a whole nother circle of friends for 70 people,” said Cole. “And now we all get to know each other, enjoy having dinner together, dance together. That feeds the human spirit.”

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Virginia Highlands Festival .

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