It’s not every day that you see someone in a tuxedo reclining on lawn furniture in Canadian Tire. It’s even less likely that person is the mayor.
However, if you were in Canadian Tire Monday morning you would have seen Mayor Lyn Hall in a tux, along with several others dressed in their best black and white to announce plans for the second annual Mayor’s Black & White Ball for the Arts.
Representatives from the Community Arts Council of Prince George & District, the Prince George Symphony Orchestra and Theatre NorthWest all came out to promote the event, slated for May 4 at the Prince George Civic Centre, along with Selen Alpay of Canadian Tire, the title sponsor for the event.
“This is a great idea that Sean and the team have come up with,” said Hall. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase the arts in our city and that’s really a big part of what Prince George is all about … It’s a real thrill to be able to participate.”
The Mayor’s Black & White Ball for the Arts is an event designed to support local arts organizations through direct fundraising and the establishment of a new community arts grant. The Black & White Ball is hosted by Mayor Lyn Hall and will feature an exclusive culinary feast, live music, dancing, auctions and other entertainment provided by some of the city’s top performing artists and arts groups. Not only will the funds raised aid the mandates of the three partner organizations, but additional funds will be raised for the Prince George Arts Micro-Grant program which supports local emerging artists by providing funding for short-term arts projects.
“We have a really exciting event planned,” said Sean Farrell, executive director of the Community Arts Council. “We will have performances by some of Judy Russell’s amazing dance talent, Melanie Nichol will perform opera songs, there’s a rumour I might even be sitting at the piano playing something. The Mayor’s Black and White Ball for the Arts is really quite an innovative event in that is brings three of the leading community arts organizations together.”
For the second year in a row, Canadian Tire has stepped forward as the title sponsor of the event with a financial contribution of $10,000.
“We are certainly thrilled to be part of this event,” said Selen Alpay of Canadian Tire. “We are happy to do anything to do with caring for our community. We certainly want to see the arts involve.”
Tickets for the second annual Mayor’s Black & White Ball for the Arts are now on sale and are available to purchase at theatrenorthwest.com or by calling 250-649-6477.