Cheryl Dolan
BRISTOL – Over 110 volunteers, sponsors and guests filled the Jack Graham Community Centre, September 23, to honour all those who have donated their time and effort to evolving and bettering the Pontiac Artists’ Association (PAA) over the years.
Cheryl Dolan
BRISTOL – Over 110 volunteers, sponsors and guests filled the Jack Graham Community Centre, September 23, to honour all those who have donated their time and effort to evolving and bettering the Pontiac Artists’ Association (PAA) over the years.
The event began with some networking where participants could also fill out ballots for door prizes and volunteers could pick up a gift bag from the PAA.
Elke Bzdurreck, Ruby Ewen, Katharine Fletcher, Dale Shutt and Anna Woods, five of the seven original founders of the Studio Tour (est. 1990), attended the event.
“It’s emotional to see old friends. The organizing committee did a great job of not forgetting anyone and bringing us down memory lane,” said volunteer Ariann Bouchard, who travelled from Aylmer to attend.
Three emcees, Elaine Gaudet, Lynne Lavery and Glen Hartle, recognized and thanked the different committees/boards that are and were part of the PAA. “Over this past year, I have discovered the snowball effect of all of the PAA’s events. Scott Judd (co-owner of Little Red Wagon Winery in Shawville) told me the idea for the winery came about because of the Studio Tour, where many people visited his farm and enjoyed their time in the Pontiac,” said Gaudet.
The hall was decorated in a fall harvest theme and hors d’oeuvres circulated throughout the evening. A slideshow prepared by Cheryl Dolan provided memories of past PAA fundraisers, renovation work at the Stone School, residency weeks, and gallery shows. Glen Hartle was kept busy all evening long with a very popular photo booth.
The volunteers cited many reasons for continuing to donate their time to the PAA. “I do it because I want to help provide opportunities for people to make art, which is important for everyone’s feeling of self worth, and it satisfies the desire to be creative,” said Valerie Bridgeman.
