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50-year Thanksgiving weekend tradition canceled
The elegant flair that is the Ebony Fashion Fair will not transform the Dayton Convention Center into a fashion lover’s paradise this Thanksgiving weekend as was planned.
Johnson Publishing canceled the traveling fashion show’s 2009 national stops for the first time in 51 years, local organizers learned recently.
See photos of last year’s Ebony Fashion Fair here.
“The company is reorganizing,” said Jean Redden, second vice president of the Dayton section of the National Council of Negro Women, noting that cancellation came as a shock.
“Its been very well-attended for the last 50 years,” she added.
The Dayton council was among the first organizations to host Ebony Fashion Fair, a division of Johnson Publishing Co.
The company has been hit hard by declines in advertising sales.
“In light of the overall economic challenges that are affecting many, including our potential corporate sponsors, we have arrived at a most difficult decision to cancel Ebony Fashion Fair’s fall 2009 season,” a message on the Ebony Fashion Fair website says. “In the coming months, we will develop a new business model to ensure that the show is a mutually beneficial endeavor. Our primary goal is to build Ebony Fashion Fair and our other brands in ways that will continue delivering meaningful insight and inspiration to the African-American community.”
The show has become a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for many Miami Valley families, attracting as many as 3,000 spectators with its dazzling garments and over-the-top stage production.
Redden said the council hopes the fashion show returns to Dayton this spring and returns to a Thanksgiving weekend schedule in the years that follow.
It was the council’s major fundraiser, raising about $10,000 to $12,000 for college scholarships and other programs annually.
Twelve to 14 area girls typically receive college scholarships each years as a result of the event.
The service organization is planning a holiday gala 6 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 20, at Miami Valley Golf Club, 3311 Salem Ave., Dayton, to raise funds to assist seven girls, all high school seniors, and nursing homes. Gala tickets are $40. For tickets, call Fannie Moore at (937) 268-5500.
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