By Mary Anne Coules and Wayne Groutage
The ladies of Castlegar enjoyed a “Night in the Orient” at the 11th Annual Diamond Dinner, which was held on Saturday, May 5 at the Castlegar Community Complex.
From the moment they stepped inside, the male Rotarians waited on each of the 289 guests hand and foot. The ladies were greeted with a glass of champagne and escorted to their table, and were also served dinner and drinks.
The evening included fashion shows by JJ’s Fashions and Fashion Foundations, live auction bids, silent auction bids, a draw for an unfolding bar from The Brick, and arm’s length draws featuring a variety of prizes. The male Rotarians provided the entertainment, with the “Diamonds in the Rough” dancers performing to “Footloose” and “Party Rock Anthem.”
The dinner was catered by Kim’s Creations, and featured an Asian-inspired meal including appetizers, salad, Five Spice chicken, Vietnamese spring rolls, vegetable stacks, a medley of five different types of rice and an indulgent chocolate truffle cake for dessert.
The luckiest lady of the evening, Nikki Perrin, went home with the grand prize – a beautiful diamond from Simone Jewellers as well as a gift certificate for a setting from Jo-Ann Bursey at Century 21.
This much-anticipated event is the Castlegar Rotary Club’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and the proceeds go to local and international projects including outdoor exercise equipment at Millennium Park, wheelchairs for the Red Cross and PolioPlus-worldwide eradication of Polio. The Club is grateful for the continued support of our sponsors and donations from local businesses that help make this event possible.
This year’s dinner sold out in less than a day. The Committee will let everyone know next spring when and where the in-demand tickets for the next Diamond Dinner will go on sale.