Meet The Founder
Kerry McCoy, Founder of Friends of Dreamland Ballroom and President of Arkansas Flag and Banner, is a native of Little Rock where she has served as a community leader and visionary. She first fell in love with the Taborian Hall in 1991 and rescued it from ruin.
Why donate to the Dream?
• Honoring an architectural monument in downtown Little Rock
• Celebrating and continuing the musical legacy
• Creating a museum that tells the story and educates about an important era in our cultural development
• Providing an event center open to the public for everyone’s use
• Preserving the last original building on 9th Street in Little Rock’s “Little Harlem” district
• Enabling your tax deduction (everybody likes to be enabled)
Questions
Where is the Dreamland Ballroom located?
The ballroom is the third floor of the historic Taborian Hall (Arkansas Flag and Banner building) in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, visible from the I-630 freeway.
Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes! Friends of Dreamland is incorporated in the State of Arkansas as a non-profit organization. Our 501(c)(3) application is in process with the Federal government. Your donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Where will my money go?Your money will be allocated to one of four funds: the building fund, educational fund, museum fund or general operating funds. Donations not specified to a particular fund will be at board’s discretion.
The Dreamland Ballroom… In Kerry's wordsThe Love StoryI first fell in love with the Taborian Hall from its outside appearance, a stately, three story, red brick building, standing alone on I-630, abandoned, with a huge hole in the roof, letting in the sun and rain. I always envisioned, my company, Arkansas Flag and Banner, housed in a building of such grandeur. After driving by many times, I finally got up the courage to come inside. Stepping over debris and skirting the homeless people, I worked my way to the third floor and… it was beyond love at first site. Because the roof was missing, birds were flying around and the sun was illuminating. Staring across the open hole, in the floor, to the Dreamland stage and box seats, I had a feeling that was indescribable, a kind of euphoria. It could have been because I was pregnant, with my third child, and my nesting instincts were heightened, but whatever it was it sent me on a chain reaction that I have never regretted. I love this old building and have had many offers to purchase it, renovate it, make a club of it, or some apartments and even a school, but I keep to my original vision. Maybe not the best business decision, but a decision of the heart; to renovate the Dreamland Ballroom into an event center to be shared with the whole community. If you are ever lucky enough to go upstairs and see the Dreamland, I think you will feel its magic too. I have become accustomed to it aura but people tell me, upon seeing it for the first time… it still feels indescribable. Follow along with Dreamland’s progress by joining our email, snail mail list, or become a fan of our Facebook page. We don’t Twitter, yet.
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