Released on 10/15/2009

OCALA, Fla. – When people think of think of areas in which Ocala and Marion County possess the "world's largest" of something, ideas typically turn to the huge artesian spring formation found at Silver Springs, or the county’s well-established status as "The Horse Capital of the World."

But the community has become host to the world’s largest public display of dresses owned by Princess Diana.

Working with the national Pink Ribbons Crusade, the Appleton Museum of Art is featuring "Diana, Princess of Wales: Dresses for a Cause" now through Dec. 30. The exhibit showcases 30 designer dresses worn by the princess and a collection of her personal mementos.

Events related to the exhibition are supporting initiatives to fight breast cancer through Munroe Regional Medical Center’s Munroe Foundation and The Villages Regional Hospital.

Many of the dresses in the exhibition come from a 1997 charity auction of Princess Diana's dresses held at Christie’s of New York two months before her passing that August. "Dresses for a Cause" organizer and Pink Ribbons Crusade founder Suzanne King owns six gowns from the Christie’s auction, along with a collection of Diana’s earlier dresses.

King contacted other dress owners to coordinate the exhibit. This is the first time that many of the gowns have been reunited since the auction.

Admission to "Dresses for a Cause" costs $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $7 for students and $5 for children up to age 12. Members of the museum, members of organizations that share a reciprocal relationship with the Appleton and groups of 20 or more can purchase for $8 each. Tickets are available from the museum or by calling (352) 291-4455.

More information about the exhibit is available at www.appletonmuseum.org. The museum is located seven miles east of Interstate 95 on State Road 40 in Ocala.

For information on local accommodations and other upcoming Marion County events, log on to www.OcalaMarion.com.