Supporters of the St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa came one, came all under the big top Thursday for the most magnificent, most splendiferous night imaginable — a celebration of the long-term care home’s 150th anniversary, circus style.

That meant a show full of acrobatic acts, stilt walking, popcorn and cotton candy snacks before a sit-down dinner and some charity auction bidding, whether it be for a group gourmet dinner at Irish ambassador Ray Bassett‘s stunning residence in Rockcliffe or a diamond ring from La Maison D’Or.

The soirée was the first in a series of events taking place this year to mark the sesquicentennial year of an Ottawa pillar founded by Catholic nuns (Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception) to help orphaned children and aging men and women. It had on its side the dedicated St. Patrick’s Ladies Auxiliary raising money and sewing clothes.

On hand for the soirée was the St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa Foundation board chair, Jan Kaminski (he got introduced to the crowd as the tallest man on earth by the attention-commanding circus ringmaster, Aydin Suatac.)

Today, St. Pat’s delivers exceptional care to elderly people through its new $60-million 288-bed state-of-the-art facility, but it still has a waiting list of more than 400 people, said Kaminski, president of presenting sponsor Colonnade Investments.

“The problem’s big. The problem’s going to get bigger, because aging is not an option, and there’s still a lot for us to do at St. Pat’s in our community,” Kaminski told the room. “But, tonight it’s really about celebration, so I do want you to pat yourself on the back for helping St. Pat’s to provide a higher quality of dignified care for our residents.”

Kaminski’s connection to St. Pat’s Home is through his late grandmother, Eufrozyna Kaminski, who, having lived through two world wars, passed away there in 2009 at the ripe old age of 111.

As well, brief remarks were made by Liberal Ottawa South MP David McGuinty, River Ward Councillor Riley Brockington, who was filing in for our injured mayor, Jim Watson, and Liberal Ottawa South MPP John Fraser. He acknowledged his ex-boss, former Premier Dalton McGuinty, for his support of St. Pat’s redevelopment, completed late 2013. The community raised $10-million for the project.

Attendees included the Grey Sisters, Heart & Crown Irish Pubs co-owner Pat Kelly with his wife, Laurie, and Jim and Christine McKeen, with their daughter, Rebecca, from the family-owned McKeen Metro in the Glebe. Michael O’Byrne from CTV News at Noon helped out as MC.

Also seen in the 260-person crowd were soirée chair, Sandy Ouellette, a professor in event management at Algonquin College, and Ruth Catana, executive director of St. Pat’s foundation. She told Around Town that she blesses herself every day for being able to work where she does. All the staff and volunteers are so caring at St. Pat’s, she said.

“You have to have a different kind of soul to work in a long-term care home,” she added.

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Author Andrew Morton, known for his best-selling biography on Princess Diana, shared some titillating tidbits from his latest controversial book, 17 Carnations: The Royals, the Nazis and the Biggest Cover-Up in History, at a literacy luncheon held Friday at the Métropolitain Brasserie.

Jayne Watson, CEO of the National Arts Centre Foundation, proved to be a well-prepared and disarming interviewer as she posed a series of questions to the Englishman, who came off as intelligent, articulate and unpretentious.

Attendees included longtime political journalist Don Newman as well as Mary de Toro, head of the Ottawa branch of the Monarchist League of Canada. “I’m interested in anything to do with the Royal family,” said de Toro.

The Ottawa International Writers Festival luncheons raise money for a youth literacy program. It sends authors to schools to encourage students to foster a love of reading.

“We’re just thrilled that (Morton) can be here and, clearly, there’s a great interest in his work,” Sean Wilson, artistic director of the Writers Festival, told Around Town. “Anytime we can have one of these great luncheons and they sell out, it’s a beautiful thing.

It means not only are we having some good food and good company but children are going to get to work with a real, accomplished writer.

“Literacy is a birthright.”

For those lovers of the mid-day meal and a good book, Sharon Johnston, wife of Gov. Gen. David Johnston, will be speaking about her debut novel at a literacy luncheon slated for May 14.

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From left: Andrew McAlister, Shannon Day-Newman, Don Newman and Tara Shields attended a literary luncheon benefit featuring author Andrew Morton, held Thursday, March 13, 2015, at the Metropolitain Brasserie Restaurant.

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From left: Royal biographer Andrew Morton, seen with event host Jayne Watson and Ottawa International Writers Festival artistic director Sean Wilson, was the special guest author at a luncheon held Thursday, March 13, 2015, at the Metropolitain Brasserie Restaurant in benefit of children’s literacy.

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From left: Claudia Chowaniec and Catherine Lindquist were among the attendees of a literary luncheon benefit held Thursday, March 13, 2015, at the Metropolitain Brasserie Restaurant, featuring British author Andrew Morton.

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Mary de Toro, head of the Ottawa branch of the Monarchist League of Canada, attended a literary luncheon held Thursday, March 13, 2015, at the Metropolitain Brasserie Restaurant, featuring Royal biographer Andrew Morton.

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Celebrity author Andrew Morton, seen with event host Jayne Watson, was the special guest at a luncheon organized by the Ottawa International Writers Festival on Thursday, March 13, 2015, at the Metropolitain Brasserie Restaurant in benefit of children’s literacy.

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Celebrity author Andrew Morton, seen with event host Jayne Watson, was the special guest at a luncheon organized by the Ottawa International Writers Festival on Thursday, March 13, 2015, at the Metropolitain Brasserie Restaurant in benefit of children’s literacy.

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The music of conversation and laughter wafted through Koyman Galleries on Tuesday as more than 200 hundred people turned out for An Evening of Wine, Food and Art in support of the Thirteen Strings Orchestra.

Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, Austrian Ambassador Arno Riedel and his wife, Loretta, and Thirteen Strings conductor Kevin Mallon were among the attendees of the second annual fundraiser. Celebrated chefs Marc Lépine (Atelier) and Michael Moffatt (Beckta Dining and Wine) were back to support the cause with the Urban Element culinary event studio, DiVino Wine Studio and La Bottega.

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From left, recently retired Gowlings partner Marg Ross with Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin and Gowlings partner Rob MacDonald, board president of the Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra, at an Evening of Food Wine and Art, held Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at Koyman Galleries on St. Laurent Boulevard.

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Carley Schelck (Urban Element), flanked from left by award-winning chefs Marc Lépine (Atelier) and Michael Moffatt (Beckta Dining & Wine), were among the sponsors of  an Evening of Wine, Food and Art a benefit for Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra held at Koyman Galleries on Tuesday, March 24, 2015.

Returning as a corporate sponsor was Bell, which struck a deal that will see the Thirteen Strings musicians perform later this year at a youth mental health benefit concert, Bows for Butterflies.

Guests spent the evening sampling drinks and canapés while mingling in the bright, spacious and modern two-storey gallery on St. Laurent Boulevard. At the heart of the party, a vast selection of stunning paintings of landscapes and forest scenes filled the walls. “If I have a bit of time I might try and buy something,” Mallon told Around Town.
Organizers were keen to repeat the success of last year’s inaugural soirée, which saw ticket sales and silent auction items deliver a standing-ovation worthy performance.

“It was one of our most successful fundraisers ever,” said Thirteen Strings board president Rob MacDonald. He’s also a trademark lawyer and partner with sponsor Gowlings. “We exceeded our expectations, in part because it’s a very cool and funky place where we’re having this, and because of the great combination of wine and food.”

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From left, Barbara Hedman with Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra vice-president and lawyer Melanie Vadeboncoeur and Hedman’s husband, Murray MacDonald, senior director of public affairs at sponsor Bell, next to a painting by Canadian artist Joseph Pearce at An Evening of Wine, Food and Art, held at Koyman Galleries on Tuesday, March 24, 2015, for Thirteen Strings.

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From left, Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra board vice-president and lawyer Mélanie Vadeboncoeur with Superior Court Justice Julianne Parfett and her husband, Roy Williams, at An Evening of Wine, Food and Art, held Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at Koyman Galleries in support of Thirteen Strings.

Auction items included wine packages, sports and concert tickets and restaurant gift certificates, as well as lunches with MacDonald and Thirteen Strings board vice-president Mélanie Vadeboncoeur, and the chance to hang with Mallon in the role of artistic director for the day.

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An evening of fine food and equally fine people filled Jean Pigott Hall at Ottawa city headquarters on Wednesday for A Taste for Hope, an annual benefit for Ottawa’s largest homeless shelter, Shepherds of Good Hope.

The culinary fundraiser raised close to $50,000 and saw many of this city’s top chefs step up for our community’s down-and-out men and women. The 250 attendees included John Lindsay from main sponsor BMO Wealth Management, Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation board chair John Peters and executive director Anna Silverman, and sponsor and businessman René Laplante from Ideal Roofing. Shepherds of Good Hope board chair Adam Smith and CEO Deirdre Freiheit were also in the mix.

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From left, Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation board chair John Peters with Elizabeth Byrne and John Lindsay from major sponsor BMO Wealth Management at A Taste for Hope culinary fundraiser for the Ottawa shelter and soup kitchen, held in Ottawa City Hall’s Jean Pigott Hall on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

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From left, Ideal Roofing employee Denis Legendre with president and CEO René Laplante and his wife, Evelyn Ryan, supported A Taste for Hope culinary night for the Ottawa shelter and soup kitchen, held at Ottawa City Hall’s Jean Pigott Hall on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

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From left, Adam Smith, board chair of Shepherds of Good Hope, with his fellow board member, Ottawa Police Insp. Murray Knowles, at a culinary benefit for the Ottawa shelter and soup kitchen, held on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at City Hall.

The homeless cause is particularly “near and dear” to Jason Laurin, chef and owner of Essence Catering on Parkdale Avenue. “As a business owner, I try and give back to areas that mean something to me,” he told Around Town. “If it’s to do with food and shelter, it’s gold to me.”

Laurin faced troubling teenage years in Toronto, between 1985 and 1988. He’d been kicked out of his family home at age 16 and found himself homeless. He eventually resorted to pulling all-nighters at a 24-hour pool hall.

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Shepherds of Good Hope CEO Deirdre Freiheit with Essence Catering owner and chef Jason Laurin at A Taste for Hope culinary fundraiser held in Ottawa City Hall’s Jean Pigott Hall on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

“It sucked,” he said bluntly. “Just think of the daily things that we all take for granted: showering, a proper breakfast and sleep.”

One of Laurin’s biggest challenges was the lack of affordable housing available to him as he tried working and going to school. “There was no way you could afford an apartment for any consistent length of time. You’d save up for first and last (month’s rent) and hang out until they kicked you out.”

Life improved for Laurin after he moved to Montreal. Apartments were cheaper there and he could keep up with his rent payments. Looking back, those homeless years weren’t proud ones for Laurin but the challenging situation “certainly has produced the person I am today. I got out of it, I got a business and I’m doing OK.”

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From left, Ian Shabinsky and his wife Melissa Shabinsky and her fellow Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation board member Ryan Kilger at A Taste for Hope benefit held for the shelter and soup kitchen on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall’s Jean Pigott Hall.

The evening, which also included silent and live auctions, saw attendees roam, with drinks in hand, from food station to food station, sampling the selection of offerings prepared by nearly 20 chefs and their teams. “I’m really impressed,” said Rogers TV talk show host Derick Fage while chowing down on probably his ninth dish of the night. “When you come to events like this you often think: small little bites? How much effort are they going to put into it? But, the effort is incredible.”

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From left, executive chef Jonathan Korecki of Sidedoor and E18hteen restaurants, with Monika Palitza-Fage and her husband, Rogers TV talk show host Derick Fage, at a culinary fundraiser held for Shepherds of Good Hope at Ottawa City Hall on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

Fage’s top pick was Atelier with award-winning chef and owner Marc Lepine. “He’s a magician,” raved Fage. “He has this soup that I can’t even describe properly. There’s lobster and coconut, and he’s doing something with liquid nitrogen.”

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Chefs and restaurant owners Briana Kim (Cafe My House) and Marc Lepine (Atelier) took part in a culinary fundraiser for the Shepherds of Good Hope shelter and soup kitchen, held at Ottawa City Hall on Wednesday, March 25, 2015. It was the second night in a row Lepine was helping a community cause.

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Sarah Corbett of Sarah J’s Cupcakes was part ofthe local food and culinary community supporting Ottawa’s poor and homeless at A Taste for Hope benefit for the Shepherds of Good Hope, held at City Hall on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

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From left, Micha Miljevic with Christopher Schlesak from North & Navy participated in the culinary fundraiser for the Shepherds of Good Hope shelter and food kitchen, held at Ottawa City Hall’s Jean Pigott Hall on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

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From left, student chefs Ruth Sevingy, Jessica Cinnamon, Caitlin O’Connor and Ryan Gilbertson from Algonquin College’s School of Hospitality and Tourism culinary program took part in the fundraiser for the Shepherds of Good Hope shelter and food kitchen, held at Ottawa City Hall on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.

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Robin Duetta with chef Danny Mongeon (Share Freehouse) at A Taste for Hope culinary benefit for the Shepherds of Good Hope, held Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at City Hall.

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Anna Silverman from the Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation is flanked by Sharon McGarry and Patrick McGarry, both from Hulse, Playfair & McGarry funeral home, at A Taste for Hope culinary benefit held Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at Ottawa City Hall for the Ottawa shelter and soup kitchen.

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Future chefs and cooks spiced up the night at Algonquin College’s Restaurant International on Thursday by serving entirely salt-free fare to guests of the Blue and Green Soirée, a culinary evening that focuses on creating better restaurant food options for people with chronic kidney disease.

“It’s about getting the new generation of culinary chefs to introduce saltless food options in restaurants and to flavour the food without salt,” said soirée founder and chair Patricia Treusch, wife of CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) commissioner Andrew Treusch.

“It’s social responsibility. I’m not going to change the planet; all I’m doing is giving them the gift of awareness.”

A diet loaded with salt is dangerous for people struggling with various health conditions, like kidney disease, and restaurant food is notorious for being high in sodium. Let’s face it, most Canadians eat way more salt than they need.

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Culinary student Mandy DeGeit served grilled pineapple sundaes with rum butter sauce as part of the Blue Green salt-free culinary soiree for the Kidney Foundation, held at the college’s Restaurant International on Thursday, March 26, 2015.

Among the array of food being served that night: mini spiced chickpea patty sliders, stir-fried beef tenderloin with Asian-inspired marinade, butternut squash soup with caramelized apples, and grilled pineapple sundaes with rum butter sauce.

“I can’t believe there’s no salt,” an incredulous Kerry-Leigh Burchill, director general of the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, told Around Town. “The food’s been delicious. You don’t miss the salt at all. As one of the benefits of being an adult, I started with the dessert. It was very good.”

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Clerk of the Privy Council Janice Charette and her husband, Reg Charette, at the salt-free culinary Blue and Green Soiree.

The 100-plus attendees included Clerk of the Privy Council Janice and Deputy Clerk, Michael Wernick, as well as Italian Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado and his wife, Martine Laidin, and College Ward Councillor Rick Chiarelli.

Popular Ottawa couturier Frank Sukhoo added his own flavour to the night with a smattering of Angie’s models wearing his gorgeous get-ups.

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From left, makeup artist Anthonia Bejide with Ottawa couturier Frank Sukhoo and hair stylist Anica Iordache at the Blue and Green Soiree held in support of the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

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Models from Angie’s modelling agency dazzled in Sukhoo Sukhoo Couture at Algonquin College’s Restaurant International.

Also out supporting the cause was volunteer firefighter Craig Dunbar of Carp. He made headlines last year after receiving a kidney transplant from the wife of a former sector chief. Dunbar, 42, said he’s been feeling great. “I just had my year-end hockey tournament last weekend,” he told Around Town.

A panel of judges, led by House of Commons Executive Chef Jud Simpson, took part in a friendly food competition organized by the college’s culinary students.

The evening also included a silent auction to raise funds for the Eastern Ontario chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

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Michael Wernick, Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council, and Wiebke Merck at the salt-free culinary Blue and Green Soiree.

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Algonquin College culinary student Andrew Paterson participated in a friendly salt-free food competition as part of the Blue Green Soiree for the Kidney Foundation, held at the college’s Restaurant International on Thursday, March 26, 2015.

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Italian Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado arrived with his wife, Martine Laidin.

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Culinary students Ce Shang and Niccolo Calderisi participated in the friendly salt-free culinary competition as part of the Blue and Green Soiree for the Kidney Foundation at Algonquin College’s Restaurant International on Thursday, March 26, 2015.

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From left, Public Safety Deputy Minister François Guimont, Canada Revenue Agency commissioner Andrew Treusch and event chair Patricia Treush at the Blue and Green salt-free culinary soiree held at Algonquin College’s Restaurant International on Thursday, March 26, 2015, in support of the Kidney Foundation.

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Ottawa real estate agents Geoff Walker and his sister, Lindsay Walker, of Toscano/Walker Team were sponsors of the Blue and Green Soiree.

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College Ward Councillor Rick Chiarelli, seen with his executive assistant, Nancy Cairns, at the Blue and Green salt-free culinary soiree.

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Models from Angie’s Models & Talent donned Sukhoo Sukhoo Couture for the Blue and Green Soiree held at Algonquin College’s Restaurant International.

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Top guns in military, politics and business came together under one magnificent roof for the 2015 Vimy Reception held Tuesday at the coolest Art Deco joint in town — the Embassy of France on Sussex Drive.

Jason Kenney, minister of national defence and of multiculturalism, Veteran Affairs Minister Erin O’Toole, the Canadian Forces’ vice chief of defence staff, Lt.-Gen. Guy Thibault, VIA Rail CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano and major donor Helen Vari, widow of Canadian developer and philanthropist George Vari, were among the 260 attendees of fifth annual reception for the Vimy Foundation, a national non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Canada’s First World War legacy through education and awareness. It sends deserving students from across the country to visit key battlegrounds and memorials.

The crowd gathered for a reception in the spacious main foyer before ascending the handsome staircase to a hallway adorned with a sculpture of the Vimy monument. Then, it was into the Grand Salon for a proper welcome from France’s new ambassador to Canada, Nicolas Chapuis.

“Six hundred thousand Canadians crossed the Atlantic to save Europe,” said Chapuis, speaking against the impressive backdrop of the Triumph of Constantine tapestry. “We will always remember.”

Guests heard how the Vimy Foundation is gearing up for the centenary of the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge, considered by many to be a defining moment for Canada. The troops, commanded in part by Canadian officers, took one of the most heavily defended German positions of the entire Western front. “The DNA of our iconic Canadian character traits can be traced right back to April 1917,” Bruce Burrows, chair of the Vimy Reception committee, told the room. “It was a frozen morning near Arras, France with sleet, snow and a bitterly cold wind (just like absolutely every day this winter) that our ability to do our best in the outdoors came through.

“As did other traits and Canadian values, such as: courage, bravery, readiness to face adversity, creativity and innovation, and a natural affinity for the officers and enlisted troops to actually talk to each other and practise relentlessly as a team before the big day.”

Guests heard how the Vimy Foundation is successfully spearheading the construction of a new Education Centre next to the site of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. It’s reached its $5 million fundraising target, and then some, in order to get matched federal government funding.

Kenney spoke about our “duty to remember” and about his great-uncle who died in the war on April 7, 1917. His remains were not found but his name is inscribed, along with 11,000 others, at the Vimy memorial. The “war to end all wars” claimed the lives of more than 60,000 Canadians.

“It’s essential that we have efforts such as this led not by government but by civil society to revive and renew our collective memory and to transmit it to young Canadians, to future generations of Canadians and to new Canadians,” said Kenney.

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The social scene was sizzling at the National Arts Centre this week as members of the Southam Club teamed up in the kitchen Thursday night to prepare and plate a gourmet dinner, then sit down to finish off the four-course feast with wine.

Hosted by NAC executive chef John Morris, the mood was upbeat and relaxed. Participants worked together and shared laughs, which wasn’t at all surprising to Morris. Cooking is a great way to break down barriers, he told Around Town.

“It evokes good memories. For most people, they start learning to cook with their mom or their dad, so it really has this family feeling to it.”

The Southam Club — named after NAC founder Hamilton Southam — was created four years ago to bring together the NAC’s next generation of fans and supporters. Its members take in music, dance and theatre shows at the NAC. They attend backstage receptions. They get to mingle with performing artists. The group has also added a charitable element with its support of the NAC’s Summer Music Institute.

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Southam Club member Julie Polisena did a fine job separating egg whites during a special cooking night held in the National Arts Centre kitchen on Thursday.

Southam Club members include Maclean’s political editor Paul Wells and CBC journalist Evan Solomon (his wife, Tammy Quinn, is committee chair). Also involved is Ottawa strategic communications and public affairs consultant Kathleen Monk, who was part of Thursday’s popular cooking night with Morris.

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From left, Kathleen Monk, Riccardo Filippone and Kelly Mounce donned chef hats for their special Southam Club cooking night in the National Arts Centre kitchen, held Thursday.

“I just love the fact that we get to come down to a space that hardly anyone who attends the NAC ever gets to see,” said Monk, former executive director of the Broadbent Institute. “You’re really in the bowels of the building. It’s fun to be back, back, backstage.”

To start things off, participants of the $135-a-person night were served canapés and drinks in the kitchen. Then, it was time to wash hands, tie on aprons, slip on a chef hat and get to work kneading, chopping, cutting and stirring.

This wasn’t a learn-how-to-crack-an-egg cooking class. With help and supervision from Morris and his sous-chef and cooks, the participants prepared venison tartare, crab ravioli from scratch and a main course of Alberta beef filet with maple beer-braised short rib croquette, cauliflower puree, white truffle-infused veal jus and sautéed spinach and mushrooms.

To end on a sweet note, the dessert was an apple and spice cake made with North of 7 rum toffee sauce, crumbled candied walnuts and homemade orange and ginger ice cream.

To learn more about the Southam Club go to southamclub.ca. It costs $150 to join.

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Food blogger Don Chow and Anne Makhoul kneaded pasta dough for the crab ravioli during the Southam Club’s In the Kitchen cooking night at the National Arts Centre on Thursday.

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Kyle McRobie seen with NAC cook Andy Wong at the Southam Club’s In the Kitchen with John Morris event, held at the National Arts Centre on Thursday.

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From left, Heather Moore, National Arts Centre executive chef John Morris and Kathleen Monk at the Southam Club’s In the Kitchen with John Morris night, held at the NAC on Thursday.

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National Arts Centre cook Jacob Greene in the kitchen with Dr. Catherine Pound at a special cooking night held at the NAC on Thursday for members of Southam Club.

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It was a brush with royalty — from the hockey world — for Gregory Evanik, president of the Ottawa branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS.)

Evanik was preparing for his organization’s big dinner on Tuesday at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata when he caught a brief and distracted glimpse of a passing stranger. He nodded politely in the man’s direction. “Somebody ran up behind me and said, ‘Did you see him? Did you see him? Did you say hello?’,” Evanik told a ballroom of 250 people gathered for the 27th Commonwealth Dinner. That stranger had been Sidney Crosby, captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team was staying at Brookstreet while in Ottawa to play (and lose) against the Senators.

The dinner, which raised funds for Doctors Without Borders and the RCS Ottawa Commonwealth Education Fund, was co-chaired by retired physicist and sustainable technology expert Peter Meincke and major donor Krishan Gupta. The keynote speaker was Jason Kenney, minister for multiculturalism and national defence.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 53 countries — including Canada — bound together by common values. Almost all of the countries were formerly under British rule.

“Our mission is to promote the Commonwealth and its values and to celebrate its diversity,” Meincke told Around Town. Among the shared common principles are: democracy, human rights, international peace and security, sustainable development and environmental protection, gender equity, freedom of expression, and tolerance, respect and understanding.

In the crowd was legendary fundraiser Dave Smith selling raffle tickets. Also sighted were former long-serving deputy minister Peter Harder, now senior policy advisor to Dentons Canada LLP, and Sir Charles Gunning, whose involvement with the RCS goes back decades. Attendees also included Carleton University Provost Peter Ricketts and city councillor Michael Qaqish.

From the diplomat community were Cameroon High Commissioner Anu’a-Gheyle Solomon Azoh-Mbi, Jamaican High Commissioner Janice Miller, Acting High Commissioner Venessa Ramhit-Ramroop from Trinidad and Tobago, and New Zealand High Commissioner Simon Tucker and his wife, Penny (the wine served that night was from New Zealand). The Tuckers also donated to the live auction a dinner for 14 at their official residence in Rockcliffe.

Other live auction items included: a group embassy dinner at Earnscliffe, the official residence of British High Commissioner Howard Drake, golfing, dinner and accommodation packages at Brookstreet, and an autographed bottle of wine from federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

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There’s been a contagious outbreak within the medical community, leaving 10 prominent doctors displaying early symptoms of dance fever.

Drs. Kayvan Amjadi, Rob Beanlands and Alison Dugan were all sighted at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio late Thursday night, practising with their professional dance partners for the inaugural Dancing with the Docs competition taking place at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, May 30.

The good doctors were clearly focused and committed as they tried mastering some of the trickier moves, despite a previous diagnosis of two left feet. One had to admire the physicians for devoting their time, energy and money to a charitable cause.

“I was ‘volun-told’,” Beanlands, Chief of the Division of Cardiology, quipped while Amjadi, an interventional pulmonologist, had been very quick to sign on the dotted line.

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Dr. Alison Dugan, with dance partner Ennio Aguilera, wears high heels for her first time to practise at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio for the Dancing with the Docs dance competition taking place at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, May 30, 2015.

“I didn’t think it was going to happen, so I said: ‘OK, sure’.”

The gala is raising funds to help create, through The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, a research chair position in Advanced Stem Cell Therapy at The Ottawa Hospital. The chair will be a senior clinician-researcher who will play a key role in leading clinical trials for innovative transplant-based therapies for treatments in areas such as cancer, muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injuries.

The evening is being co-chaired by Tracy Serafini, a communications and public relations officer with the Department of Medicine, and Dr. Anne McCarthy, an infectious disease physician. She’s also one of the 10 dancing docs.

Getting physician volunteers wasn’t a problem, McCarthy told Around Town over a coffee at Trattoria Caffe Italia on Preston Street, right near the dance studio. She devised a clever recruitment strategy: target physicians who aren’t inclined to say no.

“It probably took us a day and a half,” said McCarthy. “It was the easiest thing.”

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Dr. Rob Beanlands, seen with his dance partner, Alina Safonova from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, stayed focused while practising for the Dancing with the Docs competition taking place Saturday, May 30, 2015, at the Shaw Centre.

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Dr. Rob Beanlands and his dance partner Alina Safonova from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio rehearsed their entertaining number for the Dancing with the Docs competition taking place at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, May 30, 2015.

Dr. Phil Wells, Chair & Chief of the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and The Ottawa Hospital, will trip (without actually tripping) the light fantastic at the gala.

So will: Drs. Carol Gonsalves, Ken Kobayashi, Ruchi Murthy, José Pereira and Michael Schlossmacher, with their respective dance partners.

“They’re enjoying it. They’ve really embraced it,” said McCarthy. “They’ve taken to their lessons. They’re really trying to learn their dance.”

Most of the doctors lack prior dance experience, but just the thought of them performing some fancy footwork on stage in their tuxedos and fancy dresses has piqued public interest and curiosity.

“We hear it’s the talk of the hospital,” said Serafini. “You would never imagine in a million years some of these people up there, dancing.”

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Dr. Kayvan Amjadi and his dance partner, Kaity Schertzberg from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, had good chemistry at their rehearsal for the upcoming Dancing with the Docs benefit taking place at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, May 30, 2015.

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Dr. Rob Beanlands and his dance partner, Alina Safonova from the Arthur Murray Dance Studio, are competing in Dancing with the Docs, an inaugural gala taking place at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, May 30, 2015.

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From left, Dr. Kayvan Amjadi, Dr. Anne McCarthy, Dr. Alison Dugan and Dr. Rob Beanlands are among the 10 Ottawa physicians in rehearsals at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio for the inaugural Dancing with the Docs gala benefit happening at Shaw Centre on Saturday, May 30, 2015 in support of the Department of Medicine Transplant Victory Fund.

Ottawa Business Interiors has signed on as title sponsor and organizers are hoping to draw a crowd of 500. The $175-a-ticket evening (or $1,500 for a dinner table of 10) is being MCed by Ottawa celebrity Stuntman Stu.

The judging panel includes former Olympic figure skater Elizabeth Manley, well-known lawyer Lawrence Greenspon and Jamie McCracken, board chair of The Ottawa Hospital.

The coveted Medicine Ball Award will be given to the best duo, determined by the judges, combined with votes from the audience. There’s also a contest for most online votes.

For more information on the event and the cause, go to http://dancingwiththedocsottawa.ca/

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

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Animal lovers unleashed their support for the Ottawa Humane Society by helping to raise more than $100,000 at the 11th annual FurBall, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday night with special guest Laureen Harper.

The prime minister’s wife was returning honorary chair of the $300-a-ticket, black-tie fundraising ball and its Moroccan-themed evening of belly dancing, exotic cuisine and the always-popular parade of animals from the OHS Brightening Lives program.

Harper has been an enormous booster of Ottawa’s animal shelter. “I’ve always loved animals. My whole life I’ve loved animals,” Harper told Around Town. “Growing up, we always took in animals that nobody else wanted or they threw away.

“Sometimes animals, if given a second chance in life, make the best pets. They’ll just fill your life with wonderful moments.”

Each year, the OHS rescues and cares for more than 10,000 animals. The Harpers currently have three adopted pets from the shelter: a tortoiseshell cat named Gypsy, a grey tabby called Stanley and Charlie the chinchilla.

On hand for the gala were OHS executive director Bruce Roney and board chair Chris Tacit. Loyal attendees included Conservative Senator Marjory LeBreton and her sister, Kay Stanley, Ottawa radio host and animal photographer Sandy Sharkey, and CTV’s Leanne Cusack.

Also spotted were federal cabinet minister Kellie Leitch, getting her hand painted with henna, Invest Ottawa president and CEO Bruce Lazenby, Jeff Mierins, owner of sponsor Star Motors, and a conspicuous Chris Jones. His Moroccan hat just “fez” it all.

Italian Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado once again donated to the auction a dinner for 20 at his official residence. Also up for grabs was a seven-night stay at a luxury villa in Bahamas owned by Peter Nicholson of WCPD Foundation.

Ottawa firefighters and police officers sold raffle tickets for the chance to win a $5,000 diamond bracelet from Rings Etc. Teena Stoddart, a sergeant with Ottawa Police and the proud owner of a rescued dog, happily modelled the bling all night.

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From left, Martine Laidin and her husband, Italian Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado, with Laureen Harper, honorary chair of the FurBall fundraiser for the Ottawa Humane Society, held Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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From left, Lisa Webster does a tarot card reading with Glenys Sundaresan and Leslie Buchanan-Jones at the Moroccan-themed FurBall for the Ottawa Humane Society, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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Jeff Mierins, owner of sponsor Star Motors of Ottawa, with his partner Tara-Leigh Cancino Brouillette at this year’s FurBall for the Ottawa Humane Society, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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Bruce Lazenby, president and CEO of Invest Ottawa, and his wife, Diane, attended the Ottawa Humane Society FurBall held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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Ottawa Humane Society volunteer Chris Jones and his wife, Celeste Irvine-Jones, fit right into this year’s Moroccan-themed FurBall held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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This year’s Moroccan-themed FurBall for the Ottawa Humane Society, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2014, started with an exotic belly-dancing performance before dinner.

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This year’s Moroccan-themed FurBall for the Ottawa Humane Society, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2014, started with an exotic belly-dancing performance before dinner.

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From left, Heather Badenoch and Coralie Lalonde, board chair of the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, got their designer dresses from Rent Frock Repeat for the Ottawa Humane Society’s 2015 FurBall, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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Ottawa firefighters Devin Sheen and January Teichert filled their rubber boots with money in the process of selling raffle tickets at the Ottawa Humane Society FurBall, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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This year’s Moroccan-themed FurBall for the Ottawa Humane Society, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2014, started with an exotic belly-dancing performance before dinner.

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This year’s Moroccan-themed FurBall for the Ottawa Humane Society, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2014, featured an exotic belly-dancing performance before dinner.

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Bruce Roney, executive director of the Ottawa Humane Society, with Ottawa Police Sgt. Teena Stoddart at the black-tie FurBall fundraising dinner, held Saturday, April 11, 2015, at the Shaw Centre.

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From left, Bruce Tacit, board chair of the Ottawa Humane Society, with honorary gala chair Laureen Harper and OHS executive director Bruce Roney at the 2015 FurBall held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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Kellie Leitch, Minister of Labour and Status of Women, was one of many women to get their hand painted with henna by Sameena Khan of The Henna Lady at the Moroccan-themed Ottawa Humane Society FurBall, held Saturday, April 11, 2015, at the Shaw Centre.

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From left, Kay Stanley with Jenna LeBreton-Holmes and her grandmother (and Stanley’s sister), Senator Marjory LeBreton, at the 2015 FurBall held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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Ottawa Humane Society board member Alanna Lawson, with Dan Madularu, was stunning in her formal gown at the 2015 FurBall gala dinner for the OHS, held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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From left, animal lovers Sandy Sharkey and Leanne Cusack were out to support the Ottawa Humane Society (and clearly the Ottawa Senators) at the FurBall held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

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It was standing room only at the launch of the inaugural novel, Matrons and Madams, written by Sharon Johnston, wife of Gov. Gen. David Johnston. So popular was Tuesday’s event that guests began arriving an hour early in order to secure themselves a seat inside the modern new headquarters of the Canada Council for the Arts at 150 Elgin St.

Canada’s viceregal consort shared with her receptive audience of 300 some insight into her new book. She also read a few passages aloud and answered questions. The event was moderated by CPAC host Catherine Clark, who started their conversation off by asking Johnston how she was feeling.

“I feel very emotional in the sense that I’m overwhelmed. If this is not a literary love-in, I’d like to know what is,” replied Johnston, who was good-humoured and genuine throughout.

Matrons and Madams is based on Johnston’s own grandmother’s experiences as a British widow of the First World War, arriving in Canada as the new lady superintendent of the Lethbridge hospital. The tale deals with many issues surrounding the social changes and instability of post-war Canada.

Among those seated in the front row was the governor general. Next door to him was Laureen Harper and to her Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin. Behind them were the Johnstons’ five daughters and their families, and U.S. Ambassador Bruce Heyman and his wife, Vicki. As well, prominent attendees included former Rideau Hall resident Gerda Hnatyshyn, widow of former governor general Ray Hnatyshyn. Also glimpsed were Sophie Grégoire, wife of federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, and Mayor Jim Watson, who’s been sadly M.I.A. on the social scene for many weeks due to a freak snowmobiling accident.

Johnston was asked – by one of her young grandchildren, no less — to explain the choice of book title. Johnston deflected the question by insisting that her “chauffeur” husband would reply. He did, very jovially. Said the governor general: “I would be delighted to answer the first half of that question about the matrons but my wife will answer the second half.”

Afterward, the crowd was invited downstairs to the exhibition hall for a reception, catered by Krackers Katering. Attendees waited in line to have their copy signed by Johnston while the governor general mingled and posed with the public for quick photos. In line was Johnston’s mentor Joe Kertes from the Humber College creative writing through correspondence program. He snapped up four copies of the new book, joshing that he planned to read the story four times.

All royalties from the book are being donated to the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health.

Related

• Of Matrons, madams and Rideau Hall traditions: Sharon Johnston talks about her new novel

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How many lawyers does it take … to raise more than $100,000 for charity? 21, and that’s no joke. That’s the size of the cast in the current production of the romantic comedy Parfumerie being presented by the County of Carleton Law Association and the Great Canadian Theatre Company.

The 16th Annual Lawyer Play Fundraiser runs until this Saturday and stars: seasoned lawyers Janice Payne (Nelligan O’Brien Payne) and Ted Mann (Mann Lawyers), a variety of rising young legal eagles and several local celebrities in cameo roles.

So dedicated and hard-working is this volunteer group that articling student Ron Ahluwalia, with the Occupational Health and Safety Tribunal Canada, managed to balance his rehearsals with studying for and writing his bar exams.

“It’s go big or go home,” he told Around Town at the opening night gala Thursday. “It’s really a privilege to be able to do art with committed and talented people and to do good for the community at the same time.

“Those opportunities are so few and far between that (I thought), ‘Hey, throw in a bar exam or two. Who cares, I’m going to do this’.”

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Part of the volunteer cast of the romantic comedy play Parfumerie, from left, Ron Ahluwalia, Amanda Montague-Reinholdt, Dan Moore and Tara Berish. The play is a benefit presented by the County of Carleton Law Association and the Great Canadian Theatre Company until Saturday, April 18, 2015.

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Lawyer Janice Payne with audience member Don Hewson and lawyer and fellow cast member Ted Mann at the opening night party for the 16th Annual Lawyer Play Fundraiser performing at the GCTC until Saturday, April 18, 2015.

Also making his debut on the Ottawa theatre scene was Dan Moore. His previous acting experience was limited to his childhood. “I was terrified when I started out,” admitted Moore, counsel with the human rights law section of Justice Canada. “I do a lot of work that involves being in an office and writing, so just getting out there and being creative and stepping outside of myself and being another character was really adventurous.”

Moore said he’d happily do another Lawyer Play. “As long as we don’t do a musical, because I can’t sing.”

Directing the play is Geoff McBride. He initially felt intimidated and nervous about working with such a large group of Type A personalities. “They get more done in an hour than I often get done in a day,” joked McBride, noting how the lawyers would often spend rehearsal breaks doing work and reading over legal briefs. “It was very weird to be the only non-Type A. I guess I’m Type B or Type F, or whatever.”

McBride was pleasantly surprised with how fun the group was to work with. The feelings were mutual; the lawyers publicly expressed their gratitude toward McBride and the production crew for their tremendous support. The play’s visually stunning set design and costumes are like something out of the Grand Budapest Hotel film.

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From left, Ted Mann, Allison Vanek and Mitch Charness are part of the 21-member volunteer cast for the 16th Annual Lawyer Play Fundraiser co-presented by the County of Carleton Law Association and Great Canadian Theatre Company until April 18, 2015.

At the gala party were Lawyer Play committee co-chairs, Mitch Charness (Ridout & Maybee) and Tara Berish, as well as cast member Daniel Hohnstein (Borden Ladner Gervais). He was also tasked with the role of pushing ticket sales. The approach in the past has been to shame the other volunteer actors into selling more tickets but Hohnstein decided to be more encouraging. He insisted on the copious and continuous use of the word “awesome”, ranging from “almost awesome” to “TOTALLY AWESOME!”

Over the past 15 years, the annual lawyer play has raised more than $1.2 million for the GCTC and designated charity partners. This year, the benefit play will also give at least $10,000 to the StreetSmarts outreach program run by Jewish Family Services.
There are still some seats available for the two remaining gala nights, on April 17 and 18, at the GCTC at 1233 Wellington St. W. Tickets are $100 (with $50 tax receipt).

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From left, lawyers Colleen Hoey and Adam Zanna at the opening night party of the 16th Annual Lawyer Play Fundraiser with lawyer and cast member Carol Cochrane (Low Murchison Radnoff), at the GCTC on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

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From left, cast members Jeff Warnock (Aitken Klee LLP) and Brett Hodgins (Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall) with audience members Tara Dibenedetto and Kirk Shannon at the opening night of the 16th Annual Lawyer Play Fundraiser at the GCTC on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

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Lawyer and cast member Janice Payne with the GCTC’s new managing director, Hugh Neilson, at the 16th Annual Lawyer Play Fundraiser running at the GCTC until Saturday, April 18, 2105.

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Cast members Daniel Hohnstein (Borden Ladner Gervais) and Falon Milligan (Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall) with fellow lawyer Nina Aggarwal (BLG) on Thursday, April 16, 2015, for the opening night of the 16th Annual Lawyer Play Fundraiser at the GCTC.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

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Nobody puts Bruyère Continuing Care in the corner. It was front and centre with its Inaugural Broadway for Bruyère Gala that kicked off on the ground floor of Morguard’s modern new Performance Court office tower at 150 Elgin St on Thursday.

The early-evening VIP reception was catered by Beckta Dining and Wine. Next, it was off to the nearby National Arts Centre for the Dirty Dancing show. Finally, there was a late-night bash.

“We wanted to do something fun and upbeat to celebrate,” said Bruyère Foundation president Amy Desjardins, looking positively pretty in her pink dress and shoes to match the fundraising gala’s colour theme.

“We knew that Dirty Dancing was coming to Ottawa, so we were quick to secure 500 of the best seats in the house.”

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From left, Stephen Beckta, owner of Beckta Dining and Wine, with Karen Wood, owner of Knock on Wood Communications and Events, and Lori Wagner, a manager with Porter Airlines, at the Inaugural Broadway for Bruyère Gala pre-show party in the Performance Court office tower on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

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From left, Sandy Connell, Kathy Ryan, Alison Donnelly, Nathalie Gilbert and Joanne Foley-Grimes at the Inaugural Broadway for Bruyère Gala pre-show party in the Performance Court office tower on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

There was reason to party: it’s been 170 years since the Catholic Grey Nuns led by Élisabeth Bruyère pulled into Bytown by horse-drawn sled to help the orphaned, aged and sick. The Bruyère Continuing Care health care organization that shares her name has become one of the largest of its kind in Canada, providing complex continuing care, rehabilitation, palliative care, family medicine services, specialized services and long-term care.

Spotted in the sold-out crowd were former Mayor Larry O’Brien, CFRA host Steve Madely, Sarah Freemark from CTV and Bruyère Foundation board chair Fiona Gilfillan.

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Nella and Jimmy Zourntos of Big Rig Kitchen and Brewery were guests of Tannis Food Distributors at the Inaugural Broadway for Bruyère Gala pre-show party.

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From left, Denise Taillon with her daughter, Peggy Taillon, and Lee-Ann Lacroix at the Inaugural Broadway for Bruyère Gala, which kicked off in the Performance Court office tower on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

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Sandra Graham, past chair of the board for Bruyère Continuing Care, at the Dior Beauty Booth with makeup artist Keriann Johnson.

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Kalil Saikaley, owner of the Canal Ritz Restaurant, with his wife, Lamia.

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From left, Lynda Shields with Steve Ryan and his wife, Evelyn, from Ferguslea Properties Ltd. at the Inaugural Broadway for Bruyère Gala pre-show party.

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From left, lawyer André Champagne from Emond Harnden LLP with Amy Desjardins, president of the Bruyère Foundation, Priority Patient Transfer Service president Debra Szirtes and Morguard Investments vice-president Bernie Myers at the Inaugural Broadway for BruyËre Gala pre-show party in the Performance Court office tower on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

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From left, Ainsley Malhotra, Jen Maheux and Erin Anderson at the event.

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Mike O’Brien, son of former Mayor Larry O’Brien and Debbie O’Brien, with Sophia Pavlou at the Inaugural Broadway for Bruyère Gala.

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CFRA radio host Steve Madely with Fiona Gilfillan, board chair of the Bruyère Foundation.

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Hayley and Felix de Bie enjoy the pre-show party in the Performance Court office tower as part of the Inaugural Broadway for Bruyère Gala held on Thursday, April 16, 2015.

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From left, Andrea MacLean, director of communications for the Bruyère Foundation, with CTV’s Sarah Freemark .

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Honest officer, it was all completely legal.

The LeBreton Gallery in the Canadian War Museum may have been transformed to look like a speakeasy, where people used to go to drink bootlegged liquor during the prohibition era, but it was just part of this year’s Ottawa Gala theme: Bytown Basement.

No password for entry was necessary; just a paid ticket.

Hundreds of young professionals attended Saturday’s 22nd event, where black-tie is optional, chic mandatory.

The money raised, roughly $20,000, goes to charitable organizations that help underprivileged and at-risk youth.

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Tony Stark and Jenna Mo from Jump! 106.9 radio were the co-hosts of the Bytown Basement-themed Ottawa Gala 2015.

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From left, Tamara Reljic and Danka Djukic at the Bytown Basement-themed Ottawa Gala 2015.

The evening is entirely put together by a large volunteer committee. It picks new themes each year and takes a hands-on approach to organizing the evening, even crafting all the decor, signage and displays.

“This is kind of my creative outlet,” explained gala committee president and Fund for a New Generation board member Angela Kemp, whose day job is with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA).

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Attendees of this year’s Bytown Basement-themed Ottawa Gala got a tongue-in-cheek list of the rules.

Attendees arrived to the event to find painted wooden crates, wine barrels, drink stations and a dance floor area in the gallery, which displays the museum’s impressive collection of tanks, military vehicles and artillery. Also seen was a list of tongue-in-cheek speakeasy house rules and reminders (dames: act like a lady and drink like a chorus girl).

Come midnight, there was a surprise — no, not a police raid — but a raffle draw for a pair of Air Canada tickets.

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From left, Lindsay Mahon, Kelsey Seal, Amanda D’Angelo and her sister, Sabrina D’Angelo dressed up for the Bytown Basement-themed Ottawa Gala 2015, held Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the Canadian War Museum.

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The Hornettes guitarist Jeff deValk, wearing vintage motorcycle gear left out for the public to try on, with drummer Norman Hladik at the Canadian War Museum on Saturday, April 18.

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Monique Zareba gets a complimentary hair updo from Tanya Renaud of Fernandino Salon at the Bytown Basement-themed Ottawa Gala 2015 held Saturday, April 18, 2015.

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Nick Marum and Lyne Orser volunteered at the Bytown Basement-themed Ottawa Gala 2015.

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From left, Susi Kennedy with Asanka Peiris, Chase Morrison and Lainy Destin at the Bytown Basement-themed Ottawa Gala 2015 held at the Canadian War Museum on Saturday, April 18, 2015.

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The birthday of England’s greatest playwright, William Shakespeare, didn’t slip by without a proper celebratory toast led by British Deputy High Commissioner Tom Barry at a gathering held Friday with supporters of A Company of Fools, a professional Ottawa theatre troupe that performs Shakespeare in the park each summer.
Barry asked everyone to raise a glass in honour of the Bard’s 451st birthday, but not before first sharing his own experience of watching, as a youth, an outdoor summer production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at an old ruined abbey in Yorkshire, England. It was magical, he told them.
“It feels really great to welcome you all here for something I feel very passionate about, despite being an economist,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd with his self-deprecating humour.
A Company of Fools’ wild and wacky artistic director, Scott Florence, recited the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, plucking Zeynep Guzide from the crowd of 115 to stand up on a chair and be his wig-wearing Juliet.

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Zeynep Guzide was plucked from the crowd by Company of Fools artistic director Scott Florence to play Juliet in a scene from Romeo & Juliet during a party held Friday, April 24, 2015, at the British High Commission to celebrate all things Shakespeare. 

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Jantine Van Kregten from Ottawa Tourism and her husband, Chris St. Jacques, were surprisingly civil to one another — despite their opposing team jerseys — as they enjoyed Lancaster Bomber Ale at the British High Commission on Friday, April 24, 2015, during a celebration of Shakespeare and A Company of Fools. 

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From left, A Company of Fools board members Sonya Jenkins, Andrew Lanouette and his wife Tara Lanouette were part of a special event co-hosted with the British High Commission on Friday, April 24, 2015, to celebrate Shakespeare and the professional summer Shakespeare troupe.

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From left, Dave Morton and his wife, Judy Fentiman, along with their friends, Andrew and Dorothy Young, were at the British High Commission on Friday, April 24, 2015, for a celebration of Shakespeare and A Company of Fools, a professional summer Shakespeare troupe.

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Party guest Zeynep Guzide was a good sport to play the role of Juliet in a scene from Romeo & Juliet during a Shakespeare and Company of Fools celebration held Friday, April 24, 2015, at the British High Commission. 

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Company of Fools artistic director Scott Florence recites from Romeo & Juliet during a party held Friday, April 24, 2015, at the British High Commission to celebrate all things Shakespeare.

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Longtime Company of Fools supporters Rita and Tom Taylor were at the British High Commission on Friday, April 24, 2015, for a celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday and the 25th anniversary of the professional summer Shakespeare troupe.

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Ryan Allen with his girlfriend, Company of Fools donor Katalin Byker, and Ronnee Creighton-Kelly at the British High Commission on Friday, April 24, 2015, for a celebration of Shakespeare and the professional summer Shakespeare troupe.

Donors in attendance included Katalin Byker as well as Tom and Rita Taylor, who always catch the outdoor summer show in Sandy Hill’s Strathcona Park. Then there was Andrew and Dorothy Young. They watch the play in their neighbourhood Glabar Park each summer and, afterward, host a party for the Fools back at their home. It gives them a chance to meet the actors. They also invite their friends from the Rotary Club and YMCA.
The schedule isn’t out yet but the Fools will be bringing A Comedy of Errors to parks across the city this summer. The performances are by pass-the-hat, pay-what-you-can donations.

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From left, A Company of Fools artistic director Scott Florence with British Deputy High Commissioner Thomas Barry at an event held at the high commission on Friday, April 24, 2015, to celebrate Shakespeare and the professional summer Shakespeare troupe.

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A sold-out crowd of 70, including Cyril Adjeitey, left, and Marco Walker-Ng, right, attended a New Zealand-themed gala dinner for Third Wall Theatre, held Saturday, April 18, 2015, at the Glebe-St. James United Church.

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The multi-talented Teri Loretto served as MC at a New Zealand-themed gala dinner held for Third Wall Theatre on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at Glebe-St. James United Church.

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From left, celebrity auctioneer Nathan Medd with Penny Tucker and her husband, New Zealand High Commissioner Simon Tucker, and Third Wall Theatre artistic director James Richardson at a New Zealand-themed gala dinner held for the Ottawa theatre company on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at Glebe-St. James United Church.

In another example of cultural diplomacy in the theatre community, Third Wall Theatre held its annual gala dinner last Saturday to celebrate all things New Zealand.
The evening’s special guests were New Zealand High Commissioner Simon Tucker and his wife, Penny. The diplomat spoke about the close ties between his country and Canada. “You put a Kiwi and a Canadian together in a room and it doesn’t take very long before they’re getting on, as we say, ‘like a house on fire’.
“We have the same world view by and large, we laugh at the same sort of jokes and we enjoy the same sorts of things,” said Tucker.
The sold-out, 70-person Third Wall benefit followed in the kicked-up heels of last year’s Newfoundland-themed Jiggs dinner hosted by Max Keeping. “You sort of go from a remote island on the east coast of Canada to a remote island in the middle of the Pacific,” noted Third Wall artistic director James Richardson.
The multi-talented Teri Loretto served as MC while Nathan Medd, managing director of the National Arts Centre’s English theatre, was live auctioneer.
Attendees included Ottawa music guru Harvey Glatt and Tolcor Investments president Brian Toller, past chair of the Community Foundation of Ottawa.
The evening featured: a roast lamb dinner served with New Zealand wines, a video slideshow of scenic images from the land of cinematic hobbits and wizards, and a Maori song of welcome. It was enough to leave the high commissioner feeling, well, a little homesick.
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Elmwood School was bursting with colours, lush foliage and eye-catching blooms on Saturday night because, as we all wait for spring to come, the all-girls private school in Rockcliffe decided to create its own version of the season that sadly seems shortest.
Its garden-themed gala drew a crowd of 185 parents, past parents, alumni and others to the benefit dinner and auction, held in the school gymnasium (only the basketball nets gave it away). Organizers were expecting to raise between $140,000 and $150,000, with the bulk of those funds providing scholarships and bursaries to students in need.
“It’s amazing to see the community all coming together with one purpose, which is to support the school,” headmistress Cheryl Boughton said against a background of smooth jazz music played by Elmwood students.
Boughton singled out the volunteers for their hard work and commitment in organizing the gala, chaired by Nancy Greenley. “It’s always great to see the fruits of their labour,” she added.
The evening also helped to build on the school’s countdown to centennial anniversary being celebrated through a series of events and activities in the 2015-2016 school year.
Donald Bayne, who’s the highest-profile criminal lawyer these days while he defends suspended Sen. Mike Duffy in court, attended the gala with his wife, Sheila Bayne, a former chair of Elmwood. Seen from the corporate sponsors were WiLAN CEO Jim Skippen, Ernst & Young partner Gary Zed and Star Motors owner Jeff Mierins while gala patron Michael Potter was seen chatting with fellow entrepreneur and community leader Mark Sutcliffe.
There were 18 live auction items, including: a one-week stay at a luxury villa in Jamaica worth $30,000, a flight on Potter’s P-51 Mustang fighter plane (value: priceless), $4,000-diamond earrings from Howard Fine Jewellers, an original Philip Craig painting from Koyman Galleries worth $5,000 and private suites to watch the Sens, Ottawa Fury and Redblacks in action.

carolyn001@sympatico.ca

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From left, Kris McGinn and her husband, Walter McGinn, of Allegra Print and Imaging, with Sarah Baxter at the Elmwood School gala held Saturday, April 25, 2015, in Rockcliffe Park.

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From left, Whitney Fox, Paula Yau, Dr. Allan Wilson and his wife, luxury real estate agent Marilyn Wilson, attended the Elmwood School gala held at the all-girls private school in Rockcliffe on Saturday, April 25, 2015.

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Jeff Mierins, owner of sponsor Star Motors, with fellow Elmwood School parent Kim Ling at the all-girls private school’s annual gala held Saturday, April 25, 2015, in Rockcliffe.

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From left, criminal defence lawyer Donald Bayne with his wife Sheila Bayne, a former chair of Elmwood School, as is Joanne Nelson, seen with her husband, Ottawa lawyer, mediator and arbitrator Rob Nelson at the Elmwood School gala held Saturday, April 25, 2015.

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Sean Murray and his wife, Jamilah, with Dave Dickinson, area president of Gallagher Benefit Services, at the Elmwood School Gala held at the all-girls private school on Saturday, April 25, 2015.

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From left, Peter Hudson and Kelly Hudson with Gary Zed from sponsor Ernst & Young at the spring garden-themed Elmwood School gala held Saturday, April 25, 2015, at the all-girls private school in Rockcliffe.

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Gala committee chair Nancy Greenley with Elmwood School headmistress Cheryl Boughton at the all-girls private school’s spring garden-themed benefit dinner and auction held Saturday, April 25, 2015, in the school’s gymnasium.