Candle Light gala going to next level

Lorraine Bergquist always had her heart set on creating a black-tie, candlelight charity ball for Penticton.

Sadly, she passed away before it ever happened, but her vision will soon become a reality.

Lorraine’s husband, George Bergquist, is chairing the inaugural Candle

Light Charity Gala, a major fundraiser for the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation, on Saturday, Nov.

19, at the Penticton Lakeside Resort.

Early bird tickets are on sale now for $290 per couple (a savings of $60 per couple) and business tables of eight for $1,160. A business table is tax deductible and includes advertising placement on commemorative programs and other promotional material.

Early bird pricing remains until May 31. The ticket price includes a champagne reception, commemorative photography, five-course dinner, complimentary wine, live music, a parting gift, pre-gala perks and the chance to win table centerpiece designed by GardenWorks Penticton and Best Coast Candles.

The entertainment includes Naramata dance band Uncorked, fronted by Jeff Queen, performance pianist Carol Colpitts and soprano coloratura Melina Schein.

Marc Dermott from Move 97.1 will be the emcee for the evening.

“Charity balls have a long history reaching back over centuries,” said committee member Stephanie Alm Salsnek.

“We have taken the concept and flipped it 180 degrees to partner with businesses in our communities. Our live and silent auctions and exciting raffle items have a different spin. There is no connection to any previous ball or their benefactor.”

Alm Salsnek set “the sky as the limit,” in reference to how much money the committee hopes to raise from the evening. There are no free tickets — everybody pays, including the committee members.

Move 97.1 and Bounce Radio are the title sponsors. Other sponsors and partners, to date, include: GardenWorks Penticton, Best Coast Candles, Penticton Lakeside Resort, Canadian Tire, Snoball Ventures Ltd., Rubicon West – ConNEXTion and Paw Prints Studio & Gallery, along with 15 wineries.

“Your gala ticket will open the door for a lovely assortment of pre-gala perks,” Alm Salsnek said.

“Perhaps your gown needs dry cleaning — there’s a gala rate. At the gala itself, a gift certificate for a fitness package or golf lessons creates the opportunity for the sponsor to develop new or welcoming clients.”

Tickets are now available on Eventbrite or sosmedicalfoundation.com, by e-transfer (candlelightcharitygala@gmail.com) or via cheque to: Candle Light Charity Gala and mailed to J. Beauchamp, 132 Eagle Ridge Road, Okanagan Falls, V0H 1R3.