OGDENSBURG -- The Frederick Remington Art Museum, 303 Washington St., is hosting its biggest non-event of the season as a fundraiser for the museum.

The museum's annual April Fool's Day Ball, is a fake ball that never really takes place.

The tongue-in-cheek event involves museum staffers requesting donations and asking the public not to attend.

"On this most serious day of the year, we invite you to please not attend our event. We really hope you will stay home, or maybe enjoy some time with friends elsewhere. Instead, please send a generous donation!" writes Museum staff in a press release.

The non-ball will be held wherever the public wants it to be, at anytime that suits them, wearing whatever they want, the press release said.

The press release includes a photo of an empty room at the museum with the caption "Attendees at the 2017 April Fool's Day Ball.”

"We’re planning to dance in Fred’s honor, and we hope you won’t be here to see it. Really," said the press release.

Even though the ball is part of the musuem’s annual April Fools Day joke, the request for donations are real, as are the raffle prizes that donators will have a chance of winning.

The donation levels requested, with April Fool’s commentary are:

• $25 ("One person to stay at home and miss the ball.");

• $50 ("One person to NOT ONLY skip the ball, but even the party beforehand and does not have to go to the 'Special Celebration' afterwards!"); and

• donations of $100 and more per person mean "you get to skip the entire evening and get a special invitation not to come to next year's April Fool's Day Ball!"

Every $25 donated to the cause enters the donators into a raffle for a small bronze reproduction on a wooden base of "The Cheyenne," a $399 value; a Frederic Remington canvas print worth $150; "Icons of the West: Frederick Remington's Sculpture" by Michael D. Greenbaum, second edition, worth $89; or a one year Pioneer membership to the Frederic Remington Art Museum.

Prizes will be awarded for donations postmarked by March 31.

Donations to the April Fool's Day Ball benefit education for all ages at the museum and at the Eva Caten Remington Education Center.