Orchestra Kentucky will feature a unique Kentucky beverage with a popular breakfast food for its latest fundraiser.

The Bourbon & Bacon Bash will be at 7 p.m. June 21 at La Gala, 601 State St. Admission is $100 per person. The deadline for reservations is Thursday. La Gala seats 300, so space is limited.

“It will be a casual summer-in-the-city party,” event chairwoman Mary Jane Rotellar said. “We want it to be a casual night of good friends, good food and good music.”

The idea came from Jeanne Marie Patterson of Bowling Green, who saw a poster about a bourbon and bacon-themed event and thought it would be good for Bowling Green, Rotellar said.

“We just tried to work it into a fundraiser type of event,” she said.

The event will feature music by the Rewinders with Tyrone Dunn; a silent auction with items including a Kentucky Bourbon Trail package, jewelry, gift baskets, a flight over Bowling Green, a group dinner and artwork; eight bourbon tastings, a cash bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres. 

“People don’t have to drink bourbon,” Rotellar said. “It’s fun to learn about bourbon in a fun way, and (the event) supports a fabulous cause.”

Half of the orchestra’s $800,000 budget comes from donations and sponsorships, while the other half comes from ticket sales, said Jeff Reed, orchestra music director and conductor. The budget has come a long way from the $40,000 it was eight years ago.

“I attribute that to a very supportive public. We have generous sponsors and donors,” he said. “These galas make up a portion of that.”

The musicians are paid, and it takes a lot of money to put professional musicians onstage, Reed said.

“These things are necessary to keep the music playing,” he said.

Rotellar hopes the fundraiser garners lots of money for the orchestra. The goal is $50,000.

“They’re such a wonderful, valuable part of the community,” she said. “It would be a sad day if we lost them because they bring fabulous entertainment.”

— Follow features reporter Alyssa Harvey on Twitter at twitter.com/bgdnfeatures or visit bgdailynews.com.