RIDGWAY — The Elk County Historical Society will hold its annual spring dinner April 26 at Ridgway’s popular Royal Inn.

This event to open to everyone and will feature a buffet dinner and a talk given by local historian, Robert Imhof. The annual dinner is a decades-old tradition held on the last Friday before the Society’s museums and research rooms reopen for the season each April.

“A lot of people think this dinner is only open to a small few,” said Kurt Hughes, board president of the ECHS. “This is a social event that is open to everyone and gives our volunteers a chance to meet folks from the community and talk about what we do at the Society.”

Each annual dinner includes a guest speaker. This year’s presentation will be given by Robert Imhof, who is the president of the Ridgway Heritage Council. Imhof has also written articles on the history of Ridgway, Elk County, and the surrounding region. His presentation will include interesting historical facts about the history of Ridgway and its namesake founder, Jacob Ridgway.

A highlight of the annual dinner will be a special cake created by Elk County Foods in Ridgway. Last year’s cake featured a reproduction of a landscape which appears on a rare painted drum inside the Society’s Center House museum. This year’s surprise design will be unveiled the night of the event.

Tickets to the event are only $25 per person and are available for purchase at the Ridgway Chamber and Welcome Center, the Royal Inn, Cliffe’s & the Prescription Center in downtown Ridgway, McGrath CPA – Certified Public Accountant, and the Historical Society Office.

The event begins at 6 p.m. Dinner service will start at 6:30. For more information about the event or ticket sales, potential attendees should call the Society at 814-776-1032, or visit the ECHS online at www.elkcountyhistoricalsociety.org.