SALISBURY — It will truly be a night of memories as the Rowan Museum will be hosting a special gala Nov. 18 in the Robert D. Messinger Room, which is a ballroom used for special events such as this one. It will be set up for a big party, said Evin Burleson, executive director of the museum.

Entitled “A Night of Memories,” the gala will be a celebration of two special events, the 70th anniversary of the Rowan Museum and the 75th anniversary of WSAT 101.7, Salisbury’s radio station, located on Jake Alexander Boulevard.

The gala will begin with a cocktail or social hour from 6-7 p.m. followed by the official start at 7 p.m. with a buffet dinner being served. The radio station will be broadcasting live beginning at 7:30 p.m. sharing about the history of the radio station and taking song requests from the crowd.

During the event, Burleson and Kaye Brown Hirst, a former museum director who held that position for 20-plus years, will be on hand to talk about the history of the museum, and various objects that showcase Rowan County’s history will also be on display, Burleson noted.

As community members attend the gala and both sees and hears the history shared throughout the evening, Burleson said it is their hope that attendees “can get a sense of the work that the museum has done previously and hope to get an idea of how we are continuing that legacy.”

The gala is a ticketed event with tickets sold at a cost of $100 each, which includes the buffet, open bar, social time and live music. They can be purchased by calling 704-633-5946 or email office@rowanmuseum.org. RSVP is required.

Serving as both a birthday party and a fundraiser, event proceeds will “go back into educational programming of the museum,” Burleson shared.

The museum was founded in 1953, Burleson said, spearheaded by a group of ladies which met at the home of Alice Slater Cannon Guille, who served as president of the museum.

Burleson said he hopes to be able to have one of Guille’s, books containing all the notes she took while serving as president. A bicentennial newspaper, which was sent to the museum, will also be a part of the gala display.

The museum’s purpose is to collect, preserve, research, exhibit and educate the public about the history of Rowan County and Piedmont, North Carolina through the use of its properties, programs and collections.

In addition to the North Main Street location which houses the museum offices, the multiple satellite properties that people can visit include the Old Stone House, 770 Stone House Road; Utzman-Chambers House, 116 South Jackson Street; China Grove Roller Mill, 308 North Main Street; and Setzer School, 1636 Parkview Circle.

Museum office hours are 1-4 p.m. on Friday-Sunday and other times by appointment.

WSAT is Salisbury’s second radio station, signing on April 25, 1948. It is currently owned by William Marc Graham through licensee 2B Productions, LLC.

Buddy Poole, general manager of the station, will be at the gala for the live broadcast.

Burleson noted that the bottom floor of the museum would be available during the first hour of the event for those wishing to browse. Visitors can see a wide variety of artifacts ranging from their oldest items, the Native American collection, to their most recently acquired pieces from the Cheerwine Festival.

This special evening, Burleson said, “is going to be a fun time.” It will be a great opportunity to not just “talk about all of our accomplishments. It’s really a day we can talk about what we want to do in the future. We’ve been here 70 years, and we don’t plan on stopping at 70 or 75. We plan on continuing for 100s of years.”

The museum is located at 202 N. Main Street, Salisbury.