Fans of beloved Morris the Horse plan to gather Saturday, July 28 at the Tryon Fine Arts Center in an effort to raise funds for the Tryon icon’s restoration.

The Save Morris Gala will be held from 6-9 p.m. July 28 by Save Morris Project committee members to keep the spirit of giving alive, said committee chair Patti D’Arbanville.

“We wanted to keep the ticket prices low because we want people to be able to participate and be involved in this effort. So many kind people have reached out to help us save Morris from his kidnappers but the effort is still ongoing,” said D’Arbanville.

The event will include a live auction of items from local artists, including youth in the area. The live auction will start around 7 p.m. Chef Gayle and the Chefettes out of Asheville will provide food for the evening.

Artwork to be auctioned off during the evening includes works by artists such as Ruthie Cohen, Julie McEntire, Richard Baker and Johnny Hipp. Also for auction will be the white sawhorse currently holding Morris’ place in the center of town and the rocking horse from last year’s production of Sleepy Hollow. Joe Cooper has donated a replica of the copper and bronze statue atop the Tryon clock tower for auction as well.

The All Morris, All the Time special exhibit will run through Aug. 11 at TFAC.