Rave review for A Taste of Our Town. Thank you Mark Dawson, Grimsby Lincoln News!
http://www.niagarathisweek.com/opinion-story/4502548-talk-of-the-town-for-years-to-come/ …
Talk of the town for years to come
...
Grimsby Lincoln News
By Mark Dawson
“A Taste of Our Town will become the talk of the town for years to come,” said the ubiquitous Margaret Andrewes at one point during last Saturday’s fundraising event at Twenty Valley Golf Club. In fact, I think she said it twice to make sure Jennifer Hopkins of Hopkins IDA Pharmacy was listening.
She was, and judging by the look on her face it must have been a proud moment. What a great way for her to celebrate her Vineland pharmacy’s 65th anniversary and at the same time, give a big boost to the Our Town Our Time campaign for the Town of Lincoln’s Community Complex.
Reached by phone on Monday, Jennifer said she had been looking for an opportunity to bring the George Lake Big Band to the area for an event and thought it would be a good fit for the Library Fundraising Group.
It definitely was. Thanks to her generosity, the band was there in all its 19-piece glory - trombones, trumpets and saxophones, guitars, percussion and vocalists. You rarely see a mass of musicianship performing at that level anymore, and it added a lot of class to what was already a classy evening.
Under the direction of Steve Pettafor, the band delivered an interactive selection of both contemporary and classic music that was pretty infectious. In a rare lapse of judgement, they even had yours truly up on the dance floor. Many have never seen that, and those that have are forever changed.
An event like this one owes a great deal to many people. Congratulations to Jennifer and the rest of the Library Fundraising Group: Elizabeth Wagner, Jill Nicholson, John Kralt, Kumbir Vandeyar, Donna Burton, Stewart Capell, Joyce Harrison and Pauline Wilts for pulling it off.
There were dozens of others who offered their time or talents or who donated items to the live and silent auctions. And speaking of talents, I suspect Rick Rittenhouse may secretly fear that Ron Kielstra of E.P.R. Kielstra & Company Chartered Accountants will be getting into the auction game. Ron ran the live auction with flair and energy, keeping things moving and I believe, possibly bidding against himself at one point.
The Dawsons bid briefly on a signed and framed Sidney Crosby limited edition print, finally and reluctantly letting it go. Maybe if he’d scored at least one goal in the playoffs (as of this writing) my resolve would been stronger. We also felt moved for reasons I can’t explain now to bid on a matched pair of cardinal photographs, a seaside watercolour and a ladies’ laptop luggage bag with wheels. We came away without these items, but we certainly did experience the power of the collective will in that room.
Looking around on Saturday night, it was clear there was, as Mayor Bill Hodgson put it later, a good cross section of caring people from the Town of Lincoln and beyond who were there to lend their support to the Community Complex, due to open next month. I would also agree with Jennifer that there was a “warm and fuzzy feeling” in the room, and not just because of the bottles of Ridgepoint and Daniel Lenko wines on the tables.
A last word of appreciation to my colleague Jessica Moore and her husband Drew for joining us at our table on Saturday and to Jim Giddens and the staff of Twenty Valley Golf and Country Club for a great meal. We’ve had a good relationship with Twenty Valley for a number of years and I’d encourage those who haven’t been there for a while to pay them a visit – I see they’ve got a nice brunch planned for Mother’s Day and you’d be hard pressed to find a nicer spot.
*****
We had a baby shower at our home on Sunday as we’re expecting a grandchild in July. My job, other than staying out of the way, was to blow up what felt like about 50 balloons, which were used to festoon various rooms. Okay, I just liked the way that sounded, but there was actually some festooning going on.
I spent much of the ensuing three hours, light-headed, in the basement watching the Raptors come up short against Brooklyn, then, when the last crustless egg salad sandwich had been consumed and I got the all clear to return to ground level, I was asked to burst the balloons.
As I chased them around the dining room floor with a pair of scissors, I concluded that it was an allegory for some aspects of life. We knock ourselves out for some very temporary things, inflating them in size and importance, only to see them burst a short time later when we realize they have no staying power.
I will keep this in mind next time I’m tempted to cheer for the Maple Leafs.
http://www.niagarathisweek.com/opinion-story/4502548-talk-of-the-town-for-years-to-come/ …
Talk of the town for years to come
...
Grimsby Lincoln News
By Mark Dawson
“A Taste of Our Town will become the talk of the town for years to come,” said the ubiquitous Margaret Andrewes at one point during last Saturday’s fundraising event at Twenty Valley Golf Club. In fact, I think she said it twice to make sure Jennifer Hopkins of Hopkins IDA Pharmacy was listening.
She was, and judging by the look on her face it must have been a proud moment. What a great way for her to celebrate her Vineland pharmacy’s 65th anniversary and at the same time, give a big boost to the Our Town Our Time campaign for the Town of Lincoln’s Community Complex.
Reached by phone on Monday, Jennifer said she had been looking for an opportunity to bring the George Lake Big Band to the area for an event and thought it would be a good fit for the Library Fundraising Group.
It definitely was. Thanks to her generosity, the band was there in all its 19-piece glory - trombones, trumpets and saxophones, guitars, percussion and vocalists. You rarely see a mass of musicianship performing at that level anymore, and it added a lot of class to what was already a classy evening.
Under the direction of Steve Pettafor, the band delivered an interactive selection of both contemporary and classic music that was pretty infectious. In a rare lapse of judgement, they even had yours truly up on the dance floor. Many have never seen that, and those that have are forever changed.
An event like this one owes a great deal to many people. Congratulations to Jennifer and the rest of the Library Fundraising Group: Elizabeth Wagner, Jill Nicholson, John Kralt, Kumbir Vandeyar, Donna Burton, Stewart Capell, Joyce Harrison and Pauline Wilts for pulling it off.
There were dozens of others who offered their time or talents or who donated items to the live and silent auctions. And speaking of talents, I suspect Rick Rittenhouse may secretly fear that Ron Kielstra of E.P.R. Kielstra & Company Chartered Accountants will be getting into the auction game. Ron ran the live auction with flair and energy, keeping things moving and I believe, possibly bidding against himself at one point.
The Dawsons bid briefly on a signed and framed Sidney Crosby limited edition print, finally and reluctantly letting it go. Maybe if he’d scored at least one goal in the playoffs (as of this writing) my resolve would been stronger. We also felt moved for reasons I can’t explain now to bid on a matched pair of cardinal photographs, a seaside watercolour and a ladies’ laptop luggage bag with wheels. We came away without these items, but we certainly did experience the power of the collective will in that room.
Looking around on Saturday night, it was clear there was, as Mayor Bill Hodgson put it later, a good cross section of caring people from the Town of Lincoln and beyond who were there to lend their support to the Community Complex, due to open next month. I would also agree with Jennifer that there was a “warm and fuzzy feeling” in the room, and not just because of the bottles of Ridgepoint and Daniel Lenko wines on the tables.
A last word of appreciation to my colleague Jessica Moore and her husband Drew for joining us at our table on Saturday and to Jim Giddens and the staff of Twenty Valley Golf and Country Club for a great meal. We’ve had a good relationship with Twenty Valley for a number of years and I’d encourage those who haven’t been there for a while to pay them a visit – I see they’ve got a nice brunch planned for Mother’s Day and you’d be hard pressed to find a nicer spot.
*****
We had a baby shower at our home on Sunday as we’re expecting a grandchild in July. My job, other than staying out of the way, was to blow up what felt like about 50 balloons, which were used to festoon various rooms. Okay, I just liked the way that sounded, but there was actually some festooning going on.
I spent much of the ensuing three hours, light-headed, in the basement watching the Raptors come up short against Brooklyn, then, when the last crustless egg salad sandwich had been consumed and I got the all clear to return to ground level, I was asked to burst the balloons.
As I chased them around the dining room floor with a pair of scissors, I concluded that it was an allegory for some aspects of life. We knock ourselves out for some very temporary things, inflating them in size and importance, only to see them burst a short time later when we realize they have no staying power.
I will keep this in mind next time I’m tempted to cheer for the Maple Leafs.
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