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House Party with Scarecrow rocks it for greenways in the Shuswap
The Shuswap, British Columbia – Two things can be certain after Friday’s sell-out Shuswap Trails Party and Auction at the Prestige Habourfront Resort in Salmon Arm. One: communities around the Shuswap are determined to transform themselves into model greenway centres. And two: they’re determined to have fun getting there! The Prestige ballrooms were pressed to capacity with sell-out attendance topping 450 people from around the Shuswap.
The dance floor was packed as Scarecrow added extra sets and a couple of final encore covers to keep the house rocking. EZ Rock’s Ron Landgridge provided his trademark upbeat commentary as MC, and DJ Partick Riley kept the discs turning between sets. Scarecrow put their talent to work playing from a songbook that spanned eras. It was just what the crowd needed as the local Sicamous band transformed the Prestige Ballroom into a full on house party right to the end of the night.
The evening raised over $23,000 dollars for greenway projects in the Shuswap this coming year. “Once again, we were overwhelmed and inspired by the determined support of people from throughout the region,” said Shuswap Trail Alliance coordinator, Phil McIntyre-Paul. “How often do we get a chance to pull together folks from Sicamous, Enderby, Chase, Salmon Arm, Scotch Creek, Blind Bay, Malakwa – everywhere – and build community together like this?”
Shuswap Trail Alliance fundraising chair, Winston Pain, kicked the evening off by launching the new 2010 Build-A-Meter-of-Trail campaign. “With limited grant funding available to organizations this year, we decided to have a party and celebrate our achievements to date,” announced Winston, who then challenged everyone to raise $75,000 for new greenway trail projects in 2010. “That translates into 5 kilometers of trail,” added Winston. “It tells the rest of the Province we’re serious about this.”
And by all counts, businesses from around the Shuswap are convinced this is important. Over 160 regional businesses and community leaders supported the evening’s auction. Friday’s event raised over 25% of the 2010 Build-A-Meter-of-Trail campaign goal of 5 kilometers by May 31st.
Highlights included premium packages with Waterways Houseboats, Twin Anchors Houseboats, K3 Catskiing, Skookum Cycle and Ski, and a 2-night visit for four to Revelstoke Mountain from Tekamar Mortgages. And the BBQ Dinner with City of Salmon Arm Mayor, Council and Askews Foods drew fierce bidding.
To contribute to the 2010 Build-A-Meter-of-Trail Campaign, donate on-line via the webpage and PayPal, call 250-832-0102, email info@shuswaptrails.com. Or visit Skookum Cycle and Ski to purchase one of the Build-A-Meter Shuswap Trail Ball Caps.