The Minot Lions Club will be hosting their 7th Annual Dining in the Dark event on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at the Northwest Arts Center on the Minot State University campus. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $60 per person and can be purchased at https://givebutter.com/U4PsFJ. The deadline to purchase tickets is October 12.
This event is a unique opportunity to enjoy a four-course meal while blindfolded. Each table will have a visually impaired host to help guide attendees with tips and tricks to enjoy their meal without sight.
Trampes Brown, who has a visual impairment and will serve as one of the table hosts, says that this is a unique opportunity for the people of Minot and surrounding are. “This is a chance to get some of your questions answered about what it is like to live with blindness or a disability in general,” Trampes says. “Your table host will guide you through the meal, providing you with tips on how they cut meat or find their water glass, and will also open your eyes – pun intended – to what their everyday life is like living with a visual impairment. I think people who have attended these events in the past walk away realizing that people who have a visual impairment are actually very similar to themselves. “They’re not to be pitied or given sympathy so much as just given a chance to be seen for the whole person they are.”
Proceeds from the event will benefit the North Dakota Association of the Blind (NDAB), a volunteer organization that strives to enhance the way of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, to encourage employment opportunities, and to educate the public about sight loss. To learn more about their programs, visit ndab.org. Businesses that are interested in sponsoring a table should email minotlions@tmail.com for more information.