The Minot Lions Club will be hosting its seventh annual Dining in the Dark event on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Northwest Arts Center on the Minot State University campus. The event starts at 5:30 p.m.

Tickets are $60 per person and can be purchased at https://givebutter.com/U4PsFJ. The deadline to purchase tickets is Oct. 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.

“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,” said Trampes Brown, who has a visual impairment and will serve as a table host. “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, 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. Businesses that are interested in sponsoring a table should email minotlions@gmail.com for more information.