NORWICH – The Norwich Business Improvement District will hold its annual dinner in conjunction with the Friends of the Park fundraiser on Friday.

This year’s event, themed “An Evening Under the Stars,” will begin with a cocktail hour beginning at 6 p.m. Gourmet dinner and desert, catered by the Canasawacta Country Club, will be served at 7, and there will be dancing to the music of “Splash!” from 8 to 11 p.m. The event will be held under the fancy tent in East Park, downtown Norwich.

According to BID Executive Director Pegi LoPresti, the band “Splash!” has a large following in the Norwich area. “They seem to be popular with the local crowd, and they’ve been seen at a lot of local events,” LoPresti said, explaining the choice for entertainment.

For the last three years, the BID and the Friends of the Park have been collaborating for the annual event. According to LoPresti, this year’s event is especially important, since the Friends of the Parks project to renovate East and West Park is now moving forward. “Eric Larsen will be bringing people up to date on the Friends of the Park project,” LoPresti said. Larsen, a Friends of the Park committee member, will explain where the project is in terms of fund raising and the time table for the project. “We expect to begin the project in the fall of this year,” LoPresti said.