Victoria Hall Volunteers are looking forward to their big holiday fundraiser, a Bonnie Scottish Christmas, on Dec. 13.
Along with their annual wine-tasting events, it's one of their two big fundraisers this year. And not only will it be a wonderful gala, committee co-chair June MacKenzie said – it was also sold out almost three months in advance.
This is the first time they've had this happen for one of their magical Christmas evenings, MacKenzie said this week. Usually they'll have a table set up in the beautifully decorated Victoria Hall foyer on the big evening to sell tickets up to the last moment. This year, however, their 21 tables of eight are all spoken for.
No one seems to know why this year's holiday event is such a smash success, but it is the beautiful 159-year-old heritage building that will benefit.
Long-time Volunteer MacKenzie is proud of the organization that has fundraised for the preservation and enhancement of Victoria Hall since 1975, with house tours, fashion shows, the How Does Your Garden Grow lectures series and the Speakers Forum series that brought figures of timely interest to local audiences.
The results have been almost $400,000 raised for the wonderful heritage building to provide a long list of improvements that includes work on the clock tower, the elegant grand piano and the blinds for the Concert Hall, the foyer floor, and assistance to the Art Gallery of Northumberland on the third floor west when they were doing their renovations.
A few years back, they had new display cases made for the foyer. Right now, the display case next to the stairs on the west side of the foyer is a Scottish wonderland to advertise A Bonnie Scottish Christmas, with jugs of Scotch, a book of Robbie Burns, a wonderful Scottish costume courtesy of the Northumberland Players collection, and a wonderful wood carving of a piper and his loyal Scottie dog.
The Volunteers get a wish list from the town each year, MacKenzie said, and expect to be contributing to the work planned for the front doors and exterior pillars.
They expect to be able to do great things after the Dec. 13 evening, which organizers are eagerly anticipating, from the pipers who will pipe in the guests to the wee dab of haggis for everyone. The dinner will begin with a parsnip cream soup laced with sherry leading up to a main course of braised breast of pheasant.
A big poster will be on display, featuring a watercolour of the Scottish gentleman who is the event's mascot, giving thanks to their special benefactors. Gold sponsors are the Irvine, Lester and Low law firm, Hank Vandermeer of Vandermeer Toyota and Gord Ley of Ley Money Management CIBC. Sharron Wharram-Spry of Bakertilly is their silver sponsor, and special recognition is due to the generous donations from Herma's Fine Foods, Woodlawn Inn, and Pine Ridge Nursery and Garden Centre.