Sun shines on friends festival
The Festival of Friends was non-stop entertainment including David Guertson, with the Jazz Banditz on keyboards.
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Updated: September 28, 2009 5:12 PM
Popcorn, burger sales and getting a chance to prove that your principal’s all wet, by dropping them into a dunk tank, raised $1,200 for the Arthritis Society last Saturday at Skinny’s Grille - and the show-stopping fundraising at the Festival of Friends didn’t stop there.
On the Friday night $6296 dollars was raised for little Abigail Wright, a local girl who suffers from juvenile arthritis, thanks to the Owl Street Cafe’s popular Chili contest and silent auction.
Brian McKinney, who “did a fabulous job as usual,” auctioned off the 45 private and corporate donations says Owl Street owner Sonia Herregods-Blair.
Four stuffed animals were also auctioned off this year, raising $530 dollars, and each of the “stuffies” will being donated to Children’s Hospital by Abigail herself when she goes down for another treatment on October 9th, adds Herregods – Blair.
A picture of Abigail, which now hangs in the Owl Street Café, was also a hot item at the auction, after selling for $500.
With a little music provided by the Skinny’s Blues Crew, it was time for the chili tasting, with Fred Fandrich’s culinary delight grabbing the honour of being named ‘People’s Choice’ for 2009.
Along with some great weather and some top notch all-day entertainment by the Hoodlums, the Madison Blues Band, and the Jazz Banditz, to name a few, Saturday was filled with fun for the kids from face painting, to cupcake decorating, and bouncy castle.
The Hope Fire Department took up the challenge of the Chilliwack Lake Fire Department, Sleese Park Fire Hall, for a mini-Firefit.
The audience got a chance to see one of the top ten contenders, in his age group, Bernie Neufeld, run the circuit, the four man team’s relay time halved that of Hope’s. In full gear, firefighters sledge hammered a weighted block, ran through pylons, hauled a hose and hit a target, ran to a 180 lb. dummy victim, dragging the man out of danger to the other side of the Skinny’s parking lot.
“But the day wasn’t about competing with the Hope fire department the real reason Chilliwack Lake came out was to get more firefighters interested in competing in Firefit and to build camaraderie between departments, says Adriaan Abeling, of Skinny’s Grille.
Overall it was a great day with the Madison Blues Band singing their hearts out, the Hoodlums as good as they always are and playing to a packed house Saturday night, adds Abeling.
And the free event raised $2000 more than last year for a total fundraising effort of just under $7,500.
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