Fundraiser a rootin’, tootin’ good time

While it didn’t drawn as many guests as last year’s “Touch of Italy” fundraiser, the local Business Women’s Network wrangled 79 fellas and fillies to “Miss Kitty’s Saloon” on Saturday evening at the Fort Frances Curling Club.
“We haven’t got all the expenses covered yet but roughly we made $2,800. For that amount of people, $2,800 is pretty good,” said Tammi Shoemaker of Tammi’s Flowers, Cards & Gifts, who sat on the organizing committee along with Janis Lesko, Bridget Dobransky, Susan Bodnarchuk, Donna McDonald, and Donna Eisner.
“We’re very happy with it. It turned out very well, and we’ve got nothing but positive comments about it,” Shoemaker noted.
“And, of course, it was for a good cause,” she added, referring to fact proceeds go to the Easter Seals Society.
“We had an excellent turnout, Little Theatre was good, and the food was excellent,” noted Bodnarchuk, adding she was impressed by how many of those on hand had dressed up “Wild West” style for the evening.
“It was lots of fun. It was a blast,” echoed Neila Booth, who attended the event.
BWN chair Bev Sisco was delighted to see how much effort went into decorating the curling club. “That committee has the flair,” she remarked.
The dinner, prepared by Nadine Johnson of Sunset Country Catering, featured a menu fit for the gunslinging theme—mercantile mixed greens, Doc’s biscuits and gravy, Gunsmoke roasted potatoes, Festus’ fried chicken, Marshal Dillon’s hip of beef, saloon style vegetables, and Miss Kitty’s desserts (cherry crisp and apple pie).
The meal was briefly interrupted by some fashionably late guests, “The Girls from Mine Centre,” portrayed by Chickie Gibson, Cathy Richards, and Wendy Judson of the Fort Frances Little Theatre players, with Lisa Mitchell of Atikokan as a special guest.
The evening also featured 25 silent auction items, which brought in most of the money raised—about $1,800, said Shoemaker.
The three top items were a sunflower cabinet and a gold chain donated by Tammi’s Flowers, Cards & Gifts (rustling up $200 and $105, respectively), and a teeth bleaching by the Fort Frances Dental Centre (fetching $136).
Guests also got a chance to guess how many peanuts were in a jar for a loonie. Duane Cridland of Gillon’s Insurance guessed the right number (918).
This game—which drew guesses from 300 to 3,000—raised $39.
After the dinner, the committee got people on the dance floor to line dance.
Bill Toffan, co-host of CFOB’s morning show, was emcee for the night, keeping the jokes rolling like tumbleweed.
The BWN is an organization for business and professional women committed to the growth and development of themselves, other women, the businesses, and the community.