OAK GROVE, KY (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – For its 39th year, the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center hosted their premier fundraising gala, Flying High, on Saturday with close to 400 museum supporters coming together at Oak Grove Racing, Gaming & Hotel.

The event, which featured a ’70s theme and was promoted as the grooviest party in town, included dinner, dancing, and silent auction and live auctions.

“Flying High 39 just set the tone for the rest of the year for us,” said Frank Lott, executive director of the museum. “It was an exciting evening to get together with all of our fabulous museum supporters. We raised a lot of money, and it all goes to a great cause to keep the museum performing at a very high level, and I’m thankful to the community,” Lott said.

Proceeds from the event support the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, which is dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting the story of Clarksville-Montgomery County. The nonprofit organization uses the funds to care for the artifacts in their collection, produce award-winning exhibits and provide educational programming for citizens of all ages.

One of the top honors presented Saturday at Flying High was the Gracey Award, which has been presented annually since 1992. The award is given to an individual, or individuals, for their distinguished service to the museum.

This year’s Gracey Award recipient was Sue Lewis. Lewis has been with the museum since 1989 and held the title of Curator of Education for the museum since 1993 until her recent retirement.