With Halloween and Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror, the Woolwich Community Lions Club is gearing up to celebrate Christmas with an Affair to Remember.
On Nov. 27 and 28, Carol Jongerius and the local Lions are inviting businesses and friends to join in on their “Affair to Remember” – a night of celebration, dinner and dancing. The event has been running for 11 years and with a full turkey dinner spread catered by Kennedy’s Dining in St. Agatha, a live band and a night with friends, who can resist?
“We will have turkey and we also have ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, a couple of different salads, a dessert table with a variety of pies and some vegetarian options,” said Jongerius, mentioning that there is something for everyone, and not just when it comes to food. “We have a band called Black Water Draw with Fred Hale. He plays everything from blues to modern top 20 to retro ’60s and ’70s … everything.”
There will also be a visit from the man himself, Santa Claus, who is stopping by for photos with attendees, as well as door prizes and the ever-popular specialty coffee trolley making the rounds of the Lions Hall in Elmira.
The night acts as the club’s largest annual fundraiser and depends on the money raised to support community projects throughout the upcoming year. While money from this year’s event hasn’t been earmarked for a specific cause, Jongerius says in the past, funds raised at the Affair to Remember event have gone towards different groups, organizations and projects that benefit the whole community.
“We have quite a few projects throughout the year that we support,” she said.
The event was created to provide local businesses a worry-free venue for employee holiday parties without having to put effort into planning, execution and clean-up, but this year, Jongerius says that the Lions Club has opened up their doors to anyone in the community who is looking for a fun night to celebrate the Christmas season with their friends.
“When we have room, we open the doors,” she said. “Anybody that has a group of people that want to celebrate together, it is in town, it’s a nice turkey dinner with all the fixings and a band.”
Tickets to Affair to Remember are $60 each, and include gratuity, dinner and dancing. There will be a bar, operating on a drink ticket system, and should be preordered when ordering tickets. To get more information about the Affair to Remember or to order tickets, contact Jongerius at caroljongerius@hotmail.com. Tickets can also be purchased through Pat McLean at dp.mclean@sympatico.ca.
