Northumberland Players celebrated

the Ruby Memories Gala.

Over 160 people joined us on March 24, 2017,

as we celebrated our 40th Anniversary.

Northumberland players has always been an inclusive group and our Anniversary Gala was no different! We enjoyed a fun evening of food, song, monologues, show pieces, dancing, slide shows and a silent auction.

Northumberland Players has proudly supported community theatre opportunities in Northumberland County for 40 years! The support includes outreach programs, workshops, March Break and Summer Theatre Camps, scholarships for post-secondary education, fundraising, and producing amazing shows. We are looking forward to another amazing 40 years!

A big Thank You to the organizers , Jody Ledgerwood and Grant Coward!

Here is Jody’s thank you:

Who would have thought that in January 2016, over a year ago, when I started planning the Ruby Memories Gala that it would end up being such an amazing ride with many ups and only a few downs. When Grant Coward approached me in August 2016 and offered to help get a few sponsors for the Gala, little did he know that I would rope him into taking on a much bigger role – Co-Chairing an evening we will not forget anytime soon! A huge thank you goes out to Grant for being my right arm, my cheerleader, my shoulder to laugand cry on and my greatest supporter! Grant was a life-line to me that no one will ever be able to understand!

A few weeks after the Gala we have finally had a chance to reflect on just how fabulous the night actually was! The table décor, the costumes, the set pieces, the photos, the donated memorabilia, the lighting, the food, the bar, the silent auction, the music, the speeches, the presentations, the entertainment and last but not least, the guests! We should all be proud of our celebration! It was the combined efforts of everybody that made the evening a success!

Yes, we spent over a year organizing and collecting the pieces to create our vision, but we did have help along the way:

  • We started with identifying of photos and shows for the memory slide show and pictures on the tables. A big thank you goes out to Lynn Templar who joined us almost every Wednesday at the Firehall to complete this task. Muriel White, Cheryl Brakenbury, Marg Hillborn, Laura Andrews, Gillian Snook & Terry Sutcliffe who also stopped in to join in the photo fun. Val Russell, Mary Doig, Susanne Pacey, Kevin Ward and Lisa Schnalzer-Missen donated photos and newspaper clippings to our cause.
  • Next we searched for set pieces from the Third Space trailers, Firehall Theatre and Theatre Productions as they wrapped up. Thank you to Dave McTavish, Jody and Ken Forsyth, Jack Boyagian, Frank Burns, John Matthews, John Ledgerwood and Rick Stevenson for helping us raid, save, pick up, deliver & return all the prop pieces. Who would have thought we had so many trees!
  • The ladies at The Costume House, Laura Andrews, Dawn Watters and Jamie Finan helped search through thousands of costumes, mending and safely packaging up the items for transport to and from the Gala.
  • Thank you to Val Russell who so eloquently relayed the history of the Northumberland Players and to Jack Boyagian who briefed us on the most current successes of the Players.
  • Thank you to our Dignitaries, Gil Brocanier, Lou Rinaldi and Jamie Simmons for taking the time out of their busy schedules to acknowledge and congratulate Northumberland Players on 40 years of successful community theatre.
  • The performers: Jack Boyagian, Christine Sharp, Brad Halls, Carol-Anne Caswell, Alexia Boyagian, Evan Souter, Paul Burnham, Heather Stubbs, Heather Jopling, Blair McFadden, Deanne McFadden, Kristy Bird, Auriele Diotte, Anne-Marie Bouthillette, Carol Beauchamp, April Coming, Mary Schultz, Jeff Schissler, Craig Martin, Jeff Biggar, Ian Everdell, Bradley Martinez, Marley Souter, Meghan MacDonald, Dale Heffernan, Derrick Cunningham, Alyssa England, David Hoare, Rissa Jopling, Emily Mullins, Lee Vittetow, Lucy Caldwell, Paul Hussey, Aiden Hussey, Molly Hussey, Graham Lynch, Nic Graf, Madi Chard, Claire Russell, Neil Dalhoff and Kyler Tonkin. What can I say, nothing but WOW! What an amazing pool of talent that took to our stage to entertain us! Again, WOW! Even the bartenders for the night, made a point to tell us how incredibly talented you are and how lucky the Northumberland Players are to have you as part of our family!
  • Our Caterer, Justin Sicklis and his team from Chef’s Catering, bravo for providing us with a tasty meal! • The Dutch Oven for suppling us with our yummy late night snacks.
  • Encore Tents for supplying us with all our linens and table settings.
  • Our fantastic and dedicated Tech Crew of Chris Sharp, Tim Russell, Jack Boyagian, David Boudreau and Will Ryan who not only lit up our night but kept our ears entertained with flawless sounds.
  • Marley Boudreau and Evan Souter who pieced the slide show of memories together for our viewing pleasure.
  • Thank you to our front of house volunteers of Nicola Joseph, Kyra Taylor, Kaleb Taylor, Oliver Graf, Ethan Dobbie and Andrew Roberts. Our guests had many compliments for the poise you all possessed thru-out the night.
  • The vase assembly line that created the 27 pieces of eye candy that graced our tables Jennie Ryan, Dawn Watters and Fran Martin.
  • Thank you to Susanne Pacey who kept the flashbulbs going all night long to capture the Gala Memories on film for us.
  • The calligraphy talents of Lee Wakelin that kept our silent auction tables beautifully organized.
  • Kyra Taylor for the endless hours of research and downloading of music to keep us dancing all night long.
  • The CCC staff for helping us navigate the set-up, tear down and paperwork needed for a successful evening.
  • The numerous volunteers that showed up to lend their hands to set up and tear down the festivities: Glen Wilson, Anne-Marie Bouthillette, Sharon Rathbone, Carlotta Rutledge, Joe Flynn, Diana Flynn, Lee Wakelin, Jamie Finan, Jim Finan, Jennie Ryan, Will Ryan, Kara Besson, Oliver Graf, Kyra Taylor, Kaleb Taylor, Ethan Dobbie, Andrew Roberts, John Matthews, Helen Matthew, Dave McTavish, Frank Burns, Evan Souter and John Ledgerwood.
  • All of the silent auction donors who graciously and eagerly donated to our evening the numerous items for our guests to bid on: Spring Street Dental, Wally Keeler & Carol-Anne Caswell, Mary-Jo & Greg Curtis, David McTavish, Stonewood Gallery, The Painted Tree, Millstone Bread, Comforts of Home Esthetics, Burnham Family Market, The Healing Centre, Davis Your Independent Grocer, Olympus Burger, Jennifer Trefiak-Thomas, Alina Adjemian, Vintage Film Festival, Fluffer Monkey Design, Maureen Holloway, Kara Besson, Allyson Demoe, Northumberland County, Pat Crimmins, Mary-Liz Clark and Ken & Jody Forsyth.
  • The Local Businesses that sponsored our evening: Spring Street Dental, Northumberland Hills Realty Inc, Cobourg Orthopaedic & Sports Injury Clinic, Recycled Displays, Victoria Hall, Basil’s Market & Deli, The Dutch Oven, Ontario Carpet SuperMart, Stevenson Cartage, The Costume House and Quinn’s Blooms & Greenery.
  • Last, but certainly not least, YOU, the guests who graced us with your presence. Without you, we would not have had an unbelievable celebration! Your dedication and commitment thru the years have contributed to our 40 years of success!

Thank you Everyone for making this a night to remember for all of us!

Sincerely,

Your Co-Chairs for the 40th Anniversary Ruby Memories Gala,

Jody Ledgerwood & Grant Coward