The Bee's Knees

The Down Low on the Bee’s Knees - The cocktail reception was a great start to the evening. The New Threads gave the event that jazzy 20’s feel that we were looking for. Personally, I thought the Bee’s Knees cocktail was yummy and it was pretty cool drinking out of a teacup. The marketplace was a perfect idea and it gave those who didn’t dress up the opportunity to get into the spirit of the evening. I think the volunteers did a great job at the marketplace and at the reception tables. I had a good time watching the guests show up in costume. Phenomenal job by some! Photos were taken and even though I didn’t get a chance to sit down for a photo by Heather, I did see the final results and they looked fantastic!

Wasn’t the room outstanding? Annie Lane put together a great décor package including the chair covers, centerpieces and pillars at the front of the room. Then there were the swag bags and the purse hooks for all the ladies, that was a bonus. The swag was pretty impressive this year. I’ve already used up a lot of my coupons and the edible stuff that was in there.

Neil Crone was exceptional, as he always is! He’s a pretty funny guy and his two cronies, Dan and Rob, were darn realistic as gangsters. Kudos goes to my hubby, playing the Irish/Scottish cop who stormed in for the raid. That man should be in pictures…don’t you think, Neil?? Oh, and his sidekick was pretty menacing looking too! Good job Rick! The Sutton Big Money Moment was a valuable entertainment piece.

Speaking of entertainment, Matthew always does a bang up job with his DJ service providing us with great dancing tunes to finish off our evening but also those timely zingers that we love! And the sirens worked this year! What about the Big Easy Seven? Dana, you get a pat on the back for that decision. They were incredible and I loved it when they got up and walked through the room playing their instruments. Felt completely interactive and fun! I didn’t get to see much of the Bee’s Knees dancers but from what I did see, they certainly looked like they knew what they were doing. Good job for those who got up to learn a few steps with them. Nothing like being in the spotlight in front of 370 people! Pure bravery!

Dinner was delicious and I didn’t even get to sit and really enjoy it. I heard a number of positive comments about the meal. Someone said they thought the appetizer was the main course it was so filling and another said that it was better than the dinner they had out at a restaurant the previous night. All in all, I think the soup was my favorite part, but I didn’t get to finish because we had moved onto the balloon pop event.

The Hearts girls call the balloon pops their signature event. It is definitely a fun time and a little chaotic. I have seen this type of on-site fundraiser at other events but not one where everyone wins a prize. My hubby got a great prize this year and he didn’t even win the grand prize!

And then there were more prizes! I have to mention the candy girls. They looked authentic and very lovely in their outfits and carrying the trays of candy sticks. Good job ladies. They sold all of the tickets for the evenings raffle which was a great relief to the Hearts girls. You just can’t do everything! The raffle prize was a plasma TV with fixin’s. We also gave out prizes for The Big Hearts raffle from a few weeks earlier. The three top prize winners were given 2 tickets to the benefit and armed with the knowledge that they had won a prize. The $1000 VISA gift card, the plasma TV and sound system, and the trip (Disney for four) were awarded to our lucky VIP guests.

Live Auction was great and I still can’t get over the auction packages that came together. We had a real live auctioneer on hand at one of our guest tables but he suddenly came down with laryngitis, hmmm…anyway his buddy filled in and did a great job. The silent auction also was a hit. A nice variety of items from jewellery to cakes to furniture were sold. The Corona muskoka chair seemed to be THE item of the evening but I had my eye on some other items. Unfortunately I was not successful in winning my coffee maker or the bike, but there’s always next year I guess.

The cheque presentation was met with thunderous applause and I was grateful to present it this year. I didn’t actually get past the 86 thousand point before the applause started but I’m glad that everyone was so proud of the evening. I was slightly nervous about making my minute long speech but even more nervous about swinging that big cheque around and not getting marker on my dress! I think I did a decent job and no marks on the dress. Phew…

Thanks to all!

S.