T-R photo by Chuck Friend Attendees at the Swingin’60s FUNdraiser for the Jean Seberg Endowment Fund enjoy food, drink and conversation, while others view the silent auction items. Many pictures of Jean grace the walls of the black box theater adding to the event.

Another event disrupted by last year’s tornado was back on the books.

The “Swingin’ 60s FUNdraiser” planned for last fall was held Saturday night at the Orpheum Black Box Theater. Proceeds will be used to benefit the Jean Seberg Endowment Fund.

According to committee spokesperson Nancy Adams, after the Jean Seberg film Festival in 2017, it was decided to insert a fundraiser event every now and then to benefit the endowment fund.

“Initially this was planned for the fall of 2018, but the tornado caused heavy damage to the building making it impossible to hold the event until now,” Adams said. “So this is literally two years since we have had anything in the building to honor Jean — which makes this year’s event so special.

Helping Adams on the committee for this year’s event were Jeannine Loros, Linda Moore, Fauna Nord and Val Ruff.

“Alternating the festival with an annual fundraiser will allow us to sustain the momentum of the festivals and the Jean Seberg Endowment Fund, while also giving us the opportunity to introduce some new fun and variety into the mix,” Adams said. “Jean is still being kept as the main reason for the event, but people in attendance will be offered entertainment, food and dancing instead of completely focusing the event on Jean as is done in the film festivals.”

People in attendance had the opportunity to view the Jean Seberg memorabilia collection upstairs in the theater center and watch a short clip of her life. They also had the opportunity to take a selfie with a life-sized cutout of Jean in the building’s hallway.

New this year was a Jean Seberg look-alike contest with the winner receiving the original artwork from which the event posters were designed. Created by artist Thom Whalen, the artwork features an actual Jean Seberg signature, making the prize a real keepsake.

“This could be almost anyone because Jean had so many looks in her 70 + films she stared in,” Adams said. “She was a true fashion icon of her time, making 19 films in the 1960s alone.”

Also available during the evening were many silent auction items to bid on, plenty of food and drink to indulge in and Jean Seberg merchandise to purchase.

The Jean Seberg Endowment Fund, in partnership with the Community Foundation of Marshall County, provides financial support for future Jean Seberg Festivals; an annual Jean Seberg Drama Award for a deserving Marshalltown High School student and stewardship of the Jean Seberg memorabilia collection stored at the Orpheum

Amy & Adams and Country Girl provided live music during the FUNdraiser.

The duo of Amy and Mark Adams-Westin weaved a tapestry of guitars, vocals, keyboards, mandolin, ukulele and flutes. Since meeting in 1993 at an open-mic event in Minnesota, the Adams-Westin couple have grown their career throughout Minnesota and Iowa, as well as other states. Their eight CDs have received airplay on Midwest stations and as far away as Belgium. They have performed many times for the Jean Seberg Fests at the Orpheum and concerts for the local Central Iowa Art Association.

Country Girl is a newly formed duet featuring Samantha Vance and Mark Nord. Many local residents know Sam as the lead singer of Marshalltown’s own Exit 185 band and an employee at Five Star Real Estate. Mark, an employee at Fisher/Emerson, has played with local groups and church bands over the last few years, often gravitating to a “coffee house” style of music consisting of one or two voices and a guitar or ukulele fun.

“The event is all about the arts and always inspired by Marshalltown’s own Jean Seberg, ” Adams said.