Dusty Mule provided the entertainment for the Kindersley Rotary Halloween fundraiser event held Saturday night at the Kindersley Inn.
Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
Canada’s 150th birthday was the theme for the recent annual Casino Night fundraiser.
The Kindersley Rotary Club held its Casino Night fundraiser on Oct. 28 at the Kindersley Inn. A crowd of about 80 people supported the event, which raises money for the local service club and its efforts within the community and beyond.
An elaborate welcome greeted people attending the event. Club members created a large two-dimensional replica of Centre Block on Parliament Hill, and those arriving walked through its doorway arch. There were even English and French copies of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for viewing.
Emily Meyer, Brad Douglas and Jeff Meyer gamble for charity dealer Bob Friesen, a Rotary member.
The event included a meal, live and silent auctions, live entertainment provided by Dusty Mule, and gambling tables. The game was black jack and instead of playing for money, people played for the chance to win one of three prizes.
Everyone got a stack of chips to start, but people could also buy chips throughout the night. When the gambling tables closed for the night, people entered the chip auction and the biggest chip stack by each prize won. The prizes were a winter survival kit, a Halloween basket and a small suitcase.
Several guests wore traditional Halloween costumes, while other guests wore red and white or other costumes in line with the theme for the event: Red and White and Rotary.
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Kindersley Rotary Club president Kathy Friesen welcomed people to the fundraiser as the master of ceremonies for the evening. She reminded people about the Canada 150 theme and went through the details of the event. The main thing is for people to have a good time.
“It’s meant to be relaxed and fun,” Friesen said about the Casino Night.
There were four items in the live auction and people could do a lot of gambling and dancing as the night wore on. “Enjoy the evening,” she said.
The four live auction items were a painting donated by Dean Francis of Sagebrush Studios, an advertising package for Bear Hills Media Group Inc., a wooden swing from Kindersley Castle Building Centre and a large area rug from Home FX Ltd.
Another live auction item was added for fun. An employee at the Kindersley Inn had carved a detailed Rotary Club insignia into a pumpkin, and the pumpkin became an auction item.
Bryan Somerville and Dennis Hyland were back as auctioneers.
The Dean Francis painting sold for $1,500, while bidders paid $500 for the advertising package, $400 for the area rug, $400 for the wooden swing and $90 for the pumpkin.
Barbara Derbawka-Stevenson, chairperson of the Casino Night organizing committee, said after the event that it was another successful fundraiser for the Rotary Club. She noted that the turnout could have been better but organizers were pleased with the overall result.
She said the event serves as the club’s major, and only annual, fundraiser. Organizers were happy with the live and silent auctions. She said the guests were enjoying themselves at the gambling tables and several newcomers are interested in returning.
“We had people that were there for the first time and they are looking to come back again.”
Derbawka-Stevenson said it was a younger crowd on hand this year and their interest is good for future Casino Night events.
The organizer said the event would not be possible without the support from sponsors and donors in the business community. The support not only comes from businesses in Kindersley, but also from donors in surrounding communities such as Eatonia, Marengo and Glidden. She said of the supporters, “we couldn’t do it without them.”
Derbawka-Stevenson noted that the band Dusty Mule did a great job.
The gambling tables were busy and she said people enjoy the casino aspect to the evening. Even though guests were busy at the tables, they still took time to bid on silent auction items, she said.
The organizer also thanked fellow Rotarians and other helpers. She said club members Bob Friesen and Del Price spent a lot of time creating the Centre Block facade.
She added that the Rotary Club is open to new members, so businesses and individuals could learn more at a Rotary meeting on Wednesdays at lunch in Room 115 at the Kindersley Inn.
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