Guests remembered MF late founder Barbara Luderowski with local eats, alien ensembles and an honorary “moment of shouting.”

By Chloe Burkart

On the evening of Friday, June 15, the Mattress Factory hosted its 21st annual Urban Garden Party, “Galactic Get Down,” transporting over one thousand party goers 40 years into the future and proving that time travel may not be as impossible as we all thought. The event’s theme and energy pulsed with a vitality so intense that it overflowed into the surrounding streets: music seeped down brick sidewalks and reverberated off of building walls for blocks.

Guests were welcomed to the year 2058 by two fabulous, futuristic aliens and guided beyond a curtain into the lobby towards a silent auction. They could bid on one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork to benefit Mattress Factory programs and exhibits.

The sound of the booming bass lured party goers outside into the tent area, where bartenders of the future served up signature cocktails. Beams of multicolored light flashed across the ceiling like shooting stars and glitter-dusted skin and holographic attire shimmered underneath them.

Appetizers and samples were catered by over 30 of the city’s restaurants, bars, and eateries including Rolling Pepperoni, Salud Juicery, and Bar Marco. It was comforting to know these good eats were still available decades into the future!

Misra Records hip-hop artist, Mars Jackson, took center stage first and set the bar high for the performances to follow. The funky, modern sound of his new album, “Good Days Never Last Forever,” drew everyone to the dance floor and started the party right. To complete his set, he and his special guest, Benji, hopped off stage and broke it down with the crowd during the final song.

To celebrate the museum’s late founder, Barbara Luderowski, pins were distributed and tacked onto everyone’s futuristic alien ensembles. A “moment of shouting” was conducted in place of a moment of silence to honor Luderowski’s lively personality and bright spirit. After that, it was required of each guest to party hard in memory of Barbara, because that’s what she would have wanted. Performances by Water Seed, DJOh85, Jack Stauber, Timbeleza, and Steel City Kitty Burlesque and Variety Show made that request easy and kept the dance floor jam packed with guests partying their way into 2058.