Monday 1 December. There was no Rotary Club of Medicine Hat noon meeting. Instead, an  evening Christmas Dinner Party in the Banquet Hall at the Stampede Grounds here in Medicine Hat!

 

It turned out to be a joyous, fun-filled festive season celebration, enjoyed by all!

 

 

So, taking a step back, what were the ‘ingredients’ that together, proved to be a ‘winning recipe’?

Here’s a reflection on some of them:

 

The PEOPLE, the PROGRAM, and high levels of PARTICIPATION. 

 

There were over 50 Rotarians, family members and friends who, after a warm welcome by the reception team (Anne, Deb and Brian) found a seat around seven tables.

 

 

Appropriately, while this was our Club Christmas dinner party, the celebration included thought for others  – specifically, the Root Cellar and its Brown Bag Lunch program for school children. How was this done? A silent auction for centrepieces.

 

On each table was a centrepiece that a member had brought… and there was a table of additional centrepiece creations in the front behind the podium, some bought, some old, some newly constructed.

 

 

This challenge – the contribution of a centrepiece for auction – got the creative juices of the members (and / or their partners) flowing! At intervals during the program, Susan Sakamoto encouraged all to participate in the centrepiece silent auction. This got everyone moving around the room, looking at the creations up for auction, big and small, and chatting as they went. The auction raised the magnificent sum of just under $500! Many thanks to all who contributed, for your generosity!

 

 

 

The program was structured, but flexible in terms of time, and kicked off with President Milan setting the tone, through reading the humorous “Diary of a Bosnian Refugee in Canada”.

 

 

It was great to have the participation of long-standing member Dick Bide, who said a blessing prior to our meal.

 

Rotarian Stan Sakamoto pulled out the stops for us, offering a great roast pork and/or chicken breast meal with roast vegetables, carrots, and loads of salad, plus dessert. Thank you, Stan and staff! Great food and happy diners, fed into the success of the evening!

 

 

The Christmas-related Trivial Pursuit, constructed by Gwen Dirk, and conducted by Mike Christie, was another program activity that had everyone thinking, talking around their table, scratching their heads, and having fun! The scores of the seven tables shall remain a secret! The winning table shared a bag of chocolates!

 

 

A highlight of the evening was provided by Aidyn Martens, an Eagle Butte High School student, who played beautiful self-composed pieces, for which she has won awards at previous Rotary Music Festivals (RMF). Her repertoire included a piece she is currently working on, possibly to enter for the RMF in 2026. What a talented, delightful young lady! It was great having Aidyn’s Mom, Amy, and her boyfriend, Parker, with us as well. Our gratitude to James Evangelos for the loan of his personal keyboard, stand and acoustic system.

 

 

That was not the last of the music. Towards the end of our time together, we sang three Christmas carols / Festive season songs, each selected by a different attendee. We knew Rotarian Sharon Hayward was taking banjo lessons; we did not know that she’s also an accomplished pianist! Did you? Sharon took to the keyboard for the singing of the carols. Thank you, Sharon! It was a great sing-a-long!

 

 

More fun with four door prizes, before President Milan wrapped the evening by thanking the team who organized the event (Susan, Stan, Gwen, Peter, Sharon, Margie), Stan for the fabulous food, James Evanglos for the music equipment, and all for attending. Of course he also conveyed good wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

 

Milan left us with this thought:

“As Rotarians, we have joined the revolution to be kind. To be comfortable with our messy selves might not be good for business, but it is a great opportunity for joy!”

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Getting back to the PEOPLE, the PROGRAM and the PARTICIPATION ‘ingredients’ that contributed to the success of the evening:

 

There were varied activities on the program, lots of opportunities for participation, much humour, music and singing, fellowship, great food, and a way of remembering others (Root Cellar Brown Bag Lunch recipients) – all mixed together with the sheer joy of celebrating this festive time of the year with valued fellow Rotarians, family and friends!

 

All in all, a memorable Rotary Club of Medicine Hat Christmas Dinner!