Members of a winning team known as The Looney Tuners pose for a picture.

Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion

Last weekend’s Name That Tune fundraiser for the Norman Ritchie Community Centre (NRCC) helped give new meaning to the idea of crowd participation.

The sold-out fundraiser on Dec. 9 at the NRCC was presented by NRC Management Inc., the centre’s community-based management board. The evening’s entertainment was provided by Danceland DJs, a company based out of Saskatoon.

Name That Tune was a popular game show in the 1970s and ’80s. The concept has gained new popularity in Kindersley thanks to the fundraiser. Participants were split into nine teams and the teams were pitted against each other in a large-scale game of Name That Tune.

Brad Hogan and Zach Phair of Dandeland DJs hosted the competition. Hogan spent his time out among the people while Phair was responsible for playing the music selections for the game. The DJs kept the crowd going by playing music after the game ended.

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Rick Miller, who welcomed participants, told people about a list on their tables of all the contributors to the NRCC and its future kitchen project. Before the game started, he spoke about the NRCC, its management board and the goal to build a new kitchen in a space on the facility’s main floor. He thanked event sponsors that contributed a booze basket for a raffle prize and a midnight lunch.

He said the management board received a Canada 150 grant in 2015 for upgrades to the centre and in 2016, the board signed a three-year lease agreement to operate the centre. He listed the work that has been completed to the facility in relation to the grant.

Since the management board was established, he said 3,000 volunteer hours have gone into the facility. The cost of the kitchen project is estimated at about $30,000 and the board has a goal to have the money in place to complete the project by the spring. He encouraged people to enjoy the event.

“I hope you guys enjoy yourselves,” Miller added, adding that proceeds from the event would help the management board get closer to its fundraising goal. “Have a great time. It’s going to be fun.”

Hogan took over from there, and he canvassed the crowd to see if anybody had ever played Name That Tune. Each of the teams was asked to create a team name. Phair was the official scorekeeper for the competition, which tested people’s music knowledge.

The host walked from table to table in the early rounds.

A song was played for one team and if members didn’t know the answer, the next team had a choice to take that song or choose a new song. Teams had to name the song and the artist to score points, but points were also awarded for noise and various other reasons.

Hogan went further to make teams earn points. Teams had to send a representative to the front of the stage several times, and the nine people were asked to show off their dance moves. The team that cheered the loudest for its representative won points for the team.

There were also speed rounds later in the game. A team called Lips, Hips and Fingertips was leading after the early rounds, but Down on the Corner moved into first place later. Lips, Hips and Fingertips regained first place with a total of 120 points before the final song.

Hogan gave every team a chance to win. The last-place team had 40 points, so the final song was worth 81 points. The final song and artist were known by a team called the Looney Tuners and the team surged ahead of the pack to win the game.

Trish Holland, a member of The Looney Tuners, knew the song Bye, Bye, Bye by NSYNC to capture the title for her team. The Looney Tuners won with 161 points. Holland said the team had already designated her as the person to run up with the answer, so it was nice she knew the song.

“They just said, ‘You’re the runner no matter what,’ and it was like my song.” She said, it was a really fun night and all her years of attending dance parties paid off in the end. “I grew up with that song.”

Judy Lavoie, a member of the management board and a spokesperson for the fundraiser, said it was nice to offer a different type of event in the community. The people made a difference because they were in good spirits and the participation level was high. All in all, she said the event was a great success.

She noted that people wanted to play and they wanted to win, so it was nice to see for a first-time event. According to Lavoie, the board has plans to bring Danceland DJs back to town for future Name That Tune fundraisers as a result of the success.

“We were just very pleased with the turnout,” she said, adding that the board is also pleased with the money raised by the fundraiser. “We’re just thrilled with it. I think everybody had a good time, which is the best thing.”

There was a good mix of people in the crowd and it added to the success of the event, she said. The size of the crowd was limited due to the space in the NRCC, but sponsors kept costs low, allowing the fundraiser to work out nicely, Lavoie said.

She added that the board is always looking for volunteers, so she encouraged people to contact the board if they would like to help in some way.

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