The Annual Silent Auction and Dinner in November at the Nanaimo Yacht Club was a great success! Galloping Gourmet provided a wonderful meal with roast beef, salmon or a vegetarian dish and a fantastic choice of vegetables followed by delicious desserts.
Riot Brewing Co. from Chemainus served beer and wine. The Silent Auction items created some heated competition and there were some great bargains! It was a fun evening with games, surprises and beautiful music played by Norma and Asha, a talented WES mother and daughter duo on guitar and viola, as well as an amusing impromptu rendering of a Christmas ballad from former WES director, Roy Sage.
It was an enjoyable and productive evening, raising nearly $5,000.00 in support of our family! Thank you to all those who joined us for this special evening, and stay tuned as we’re already working on several great events for 2019!]
We couldn’t accomplish our goal without the generous support of our community. Thank you to the following donors for making the 2018 event a success!
Special thanks to the Bees Knees for their assistance with ticket sales in addition to their generous item donation!
Making great coffee & food for people we love Making persian food
Individual Donors
Lorraine Matheson, Don Lutes, Susan Barr, Ed Traff, Ursula and Bill Verstraete, Heather Pastro, Nancy Lutes, Danny Puglas, Marlene and Jonathan Dean, and a large number of donors who opted to remain anonymous.
Corporate Donors
Tom Derkach, CFP
Tom’s career in the financial services industry began at Coastal Community in 1996, starting in member services, before joining the wealth management division. He has been working as a Wealth Advisor and Certified Financial Planner for the past 16 years.
Krog & Company is a full service law firm committed to providing our clients with excellent legal advice and representation.
Warsh Law is composed of lawyers practicing family law, wills and estates, estate litigation, corporate, residential and commercial real estate, and immigration law in Nanaimo and the Vancouver Island Community.
Cruise Vancouver Island’s ‘Wild West’ Coast aboard the MV Uchuck III. Day trips to Friendly Cove and Nootka Sound.
Overnight trips to Kyuquot Sound.
Calling on over 30 years of investment experience, I will work with you to build a portfolio that’s right for you, now and far into the future.
Offering custom Canadian made Blinds.
Beautiful Bedding & Luxurious Bath products. We carry quality products focusing on Canadian made and organic when available.
We take care of everything — brakes, tires, oil changes — all your auto repair needs
Nanaimo Clippers Jr. A Hockey Club
Official Member of the British Columbia Hockey League
We are a boutique specializing in Canadian natural-fibered clothing such as Blue Sky, Respecterre, Effort’s Eco-Essentials and Brenda Laine. Our shoe lines include Birkenstock, Earth, Keen, Gabor & Naot!
We also carry local and global/ fair-trade gifts including Himalayan Salt Lamps, Nepalese outerwear, and Cambodian silk accessories.
At Tim Hortons, we’re more than just Canada’s largest quick-serve restaurant. We’re proud to be part of Canadians’ lives, every day.
OMG Boutique 158 Fulford-Ganges road, Salt Spring Island, BC 250-931-1664 WHOLESALE inquires: tara@omgrown.ca
Located in downtown Nanaimo, FUNKyourFASHION is a boutique consignment store offering a wide range of high-quality brand-name clothing, footwear and accessories.
Located in the heart of downtown, the Nanaimo Museum hosts informative and interactive exhibits that tell the story of Nanaimo’s history.
Quality Pizza, BBQ Chicken & Ribs, and
Pasta in Ladysmith, BC. Take-out or Delivery.
Kleijn Nurseries and Garden Centre is a personable family run business, with over 30 years of experience growing and caring for plants in Nanaimo.
Olive This & More is a gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting room. Try before you buy and bottle on site. We have over 46 different flavors of premium class product.
We are a unique boutique in downtown Nanaimo that features women’s clothing, handbags, jewelry, shoes and baby gifts and accessories. Established in 2005, we strive to have an eclectic mix of clothing and accessories for all ages.
Since 1990, Georgia Strait Alliance has been an effective voice for communities who care about the waters of Georgia Strait and all the creatures that call it home.
White Spot Restaurants has become a British Columbian legend with a passion for using fresh, quality, local ingredients.
Salamander Books is an independent bookstore located in Ladysmith that has new and used books, CD’s, and art cards.
Our Head Chef, Preston Kittle-Jago and his team are delighted to create a unique combination of traditional British fayre, pub food and a 100% Vegan menu.
Pacific Northwest craft beers, forno oven pizzas. Authentic farm-to-table tapas and appetizers in an incredible atmosphere.
NYLA Fresh Thread is a new upstart men’s fashion retailer that strives to lead our local market in business, casual, and contemporary menswear with a price range to fit any budget.
A unique collection of decor, gifts, clothing and accessories, featuring local, handmade and fair trade.
In addition to being a fully stocked art supply store with the best prices on the island, Iron Oxide does monthly artist exhibitions, offers creative support to the public and sponsors community events like Nanaimo Artwalk, Art Bomb, Vibe Dance’s Dance Video Collection and more.
A gallery/shop selling locally hand made work by over 65 artists including owner Tanya Streeter. We have silk scarves, hand printed bamboo clothing for women, men and children, cards, prints, paintings and other wall art, glass, lots of jewellery, hats, pottery, wood products, soap, soy candles and so much more.
*Note: an earlier version of this post stated that tickets are still available for purchase. Due to the need to finalize numbers for the caterer ticket sales are now closed. My apologies for the incorrect information.
Our donation list has grown to over 85(!) items from a ton of local people and businesses, and we couldn’t be happier for their support! A huge variety of items are going to be up for auction, including:
wills
jewelry
tickets to many events such as theaters, hockey games, paint nights
gift cards for a huge variety of businesses such as gardening, bookstores, clothing stores, custom blinds, art stores, oil changes, wheel alignment, wills, massage treatments, computer services, and a ton of restaurants
gift baskets and gift sets for homes, offices, food, crafting, aromatherapy
an amazing amount of gifts such as clothing, wall hangings, golf items, camping items, pillows, blankets, wall hangings, and much, much more!
We will be accepting donations right up until Thursday, so please contact us if you’d like to donate! We’re very excited and look forward to seeing you all there!
Just over a month to go until our 4th annual dinner and silent auction! If you don’t have your tickets yet, stay tuned until the end of this post to find out how and where to get them!
For this year’s event, Riot Brewing Co. will be helping us out at the bar. A selection of wines will be available through drink tickets, and you’ll also have the opportunity to sample some of Riot’s very own creations!
Founded in 2015 and located in Chemainus, Riot has already made a name for itself, as can be seen by the stellar reviews on Google, Facebook, and Trip Advisor. At this year’s World Beer Cup (featuring 8,234 entries from 66 countries), they won <i>two</i> medals: a bronze in the category of “coffee beer” for their Breakfast of Champions Coffee Lager, and a gold in the category of “English-style mild ale” for their Working Class Hero Dark Mild! You can check them out at 101A 3055 Oak Street in Chemainus, where you can pick up some beer in six packs, bottles, growlers (or you can bring your own!). Or stick around to enjoy a drink on-site, and take advantage of the option to order delivery straight to your table from nearby local restaurants! They have a very active events calendar too, so be sure to check it out if you’re looking for some fun!
Summary of past event-related posts
Where can you buy a ticket? You can contact us or take the opportunity to visit the Bee’s Knees Community Cafe at 208 Wallace Street – more info on tickets can be found here.
Want to help our cause by donating to the event? We’re still accepting donations and would love to feature your local and island businesses and experiences! To donate, you can contact us, or get more detail here.
Galloping Gourmet will be catering the event! Get more details on the menu here!
Keep checking back, as in the coming weeks we will be revealing more information about the evening, as well as featuring some of the silent auction items that will be available to bid on!
Vegetarians/vegans, please click here for special information regarding your tickets!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We hope you all enjoyed the long weekend, however you chose to spend it! And on that note, what better time of the year on which to discuss delicious food? We are pleased to announce that Galloping Gourmet Catering Company will be catering this year’s annual dinner and silent auction! Galloping Gourmet has been in business since 2006, but the people behind the name have decades of diverse experience in the food industry – from the UK where they were involved in events such as the Ryder Cup golf tournament and royal banquets, to running the Airport Restaurant in Qualicum Beach (later renamed “Final Approach”), which many of you may be familiar with as it has a long history of great food and great service.
If you’d like to know more about this company you can check out their website for more detail, but in the meantime, let’s get down to the fun stuff – the food! Each table will be provided with rolls and butter, and the main meal will consist of a buffet style offering of:
Carved Baron of Beef with gravy, horseradish and mustard
Poached wild salmon with a citrus maple glaze
Thyme roasted baby potatoes
Medley of vegetables
Mixed baby greens with raspberry vinaigrette
Greek pasta salad
Dessert will be a selection of gourmet finger style desserts, including but not limited to ginger snaps, lemon squares, raspberry hazelnut pavlova, and chocolate fudge cake.
Looking for a vegetarian or vegan option?
Our caterer offers a mushroom nutloaf with sundried tomato sauce. Sounds delicious, right? However, we need to know in advance if you want this option! As such, please advise us at the time you are purchasing a ticket how many in your party are vegetarian or vegan so that we can ensure enough to go around!
Summary of past event-related posts
Where can you buy a ticket? You can contact us or take the opportunity to visit the Bee’s Knees Community Cafe at 208 Wallace Street – more info on tickets can be found here.
Want to help our cause by donating to the event? We’re still accepting donations and would love to feature your local and island businesses and experiences! To donate, you can contact us, or get more detail here.
Keep checking back, as in the coming weeks we will be revealing more information about the evening, as well as featuring some of the silent auction items that will be available to bid on. And to complete this Thanksgiving post, a huge thanks to each and every one of you who helps us make this event a success, whether you are supplying your services and time to the evening, donating silent auction items, or attending the event. We couldn’t do this without you!
In the coming month you may begin to see posters popping up around town advertising the evening, but if you can’t wait for your tickets – and you shouldn’t! – you can contact us now or head on down to the Bee’s Knees Community Cafe, located at 208 Wallace Street, to purchase your tickets there. Individual tickets are $35 each, or you can purchase a table (8 tickets) for $250. The dinner and silent auction are being hosted at the Nanaimo Yacht Club and will run from 5pm to 8pm on Friday, November 16th. Last year’s auction featured some great finds, from gift certificates to local dining and businesses, to arts and crafts donated by local artists, to the use of a DeLorean for a day!!
Great Scott!
What will be available this year? Well, we’ve already heard back from several generous people who have agreed to help us make this year just as exciting. How about a day cruise for two? A gift certificate for a massage? How about more local art by local artisans? We’ll be posting more details as we draw closer to the date. In the meantime, we’re still looking for donations! If you want to support a good cause and would like to see your business or art featured on our website (as well as our Twitter and Facebook pages), give us a shout! We’d love to hear from you!
In the meantime, let’s talk some more about The Bee’s Knees Community Cafe.
A selection of food & drink photos from The Bee’s Knees Community Cafe facebook page
Haven’t been to Bee’s Knees? This is a perfect chance to check it out and discover a new and beautiful cafe, as it really must be seen to be appreciated! Bee’s Knees is locally owned and in only two years of business it has supported many local charities, including ours. They have kindly agreed to assist us again this year by not only donating gift certificates for the silent auction, but also by helping us sell advance tickets to the event. Please take some time to drop by and support this locally owned business in return!
Currently ranked #1 in Nanaimo for the “Coffee and Tea” section on TripAdvisor, Bee’s Knees offers a warm and inviting atmosphere from the moment you step inside. There is a charming variety of eclectic seating so everyone can find that ‘perfect’ chair. A wide variety of hot and cold beverages are served in an equally eclectic and beautiful variety of mugs and cups. There’s a children’s corner with a variety of toys to keep young ones entertained while you relax. The food is made on-site, and features local, organic, gluten free, dairy free, and vegan and vegetarian friendly selections, ranging from quick snacks such as cinnamon buns, cookies, and muffins, to full meals, including authentic Persian cuisine! In a hurry? No problem, they offer take-out options as well!
Local artist Nadine Wiepning was kind enough to facilitate the event, and brought a truly unique twist to an already popular event. Instead of having all participants paint the same painting, Nadine offered everyone their choice of three different photographs to paint from! Aided by a glass of white or red pinot, a set of paint brushes, a canvas and an easel, each person enjoyed an evening exploring their innate talents whilst learning new artistic techniques. Anyone who has experienced a local “paint night” will no doubt wonder how Nadine managed with not just one but three different images to work off of, but throughout the evening she seemed to be everywhere at once, encouraging, assisting, and cheering everyone on. By the end of the night every participant went home with a unique and beautiful piece of art to hang on their walls!
Our next upcoming event is our annual silent auction and dinner! This year’s event will once again be hosted at the Nanaimo Yacht Club. The evening will feature a buffet dinner (with vegetarian options), live entertainment, and a bar with a selection of beer and wines. More info including details on where to buy tickets will be coming soon, but in the meantime we are seeking donations for silent auction items. If you are willing to donate or know someone who is willing to donate, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can make arrangements. This is a great advertising opportunity as every donation will be clearly marked with the business’ or artist’s name and information.
Not sure what you can donate? Popular donated items in the past are varied and have included:
gift certificates for legal work, such as wills
the use of a Delorean for the day!
yard and garden maintenance
gift certificate to a tattoo studio
local theater tickets
art such as handmade quilts, paintings, woodworking, and even a handcrafted picnic basket!
gift certificates to local restaurants
gift baskets of food or local/business products
We are grateful to all the local artists and business owners who have helped make past years a success, and we hope you can help us make this year our best year yet!
The Annual Silent Auction and Dinner in November at the Nanaimo Yacht Club was a great success! Galloping Gourmet provided a wonderful meal with roast beef, salmon or a vegetarian dish and a fantastic choice of vegetables followed by delicious desserts.
Just over a month to go until our 4th annual dinner and silent auction! If you don’t have your tickets yet, stay tuned until the end of this post to find out how and where to get them!
