It was a magical night, says the organizer of Saturday’s Huntsville Performing Arts Collective, a variety show fundraiser for the Children’s Foundation of Muskoka. (Read about the origins of the Collective on Doppler here.)
The event was produced by Ramona Brownell and Scott Pelling of Explosive Device Records and featured an assortment of performances by local musicians and dancers, with Grant Nickalls as emcee and a full house of more than 200 people as Huntsville came out to support the cause.
“It was such a huge success in so many ways,” said Brownell. “Not only did they raise money for the Foundation, but they also brought more awareness to the public about what the Foundation is about and how it may help children and families in need. We also received a few comments as to when will the next show be! They were absolutely blown away by some of the performances we had that night.” The event raised $3367 for the Foundation.
“I was happily surprised how wonderfully organized it was. It was well attended and the entertainment was phenomenal from start to finish,” said Children’s Foundation of Muskoka board member Bob Stone. “From a Children’s Foundation perspective, we are overwhelmed with the money that Ramona and Scott raised. It’s going to help a lot of kids in Muskoka.”
Last year, the Foundation gave $146,000 to children in Muskoka last year, said Stone. The funds are distributed through an application process to families with incomes less than $60,000 per year, with a maximum of $450 per child available. The Children’s Foundation of Muskoka also distributes funds from the Canadian Tire JumpStart program locally.
Brownell thanked the production and stage crew – Hutch (stage manager), Natalie Hamill (backstage manager), Alastair Dunlop (lighting and visuals), Scott Pelling (master engineered sounds), and Grant Nickalls (emcee) – for making the night a success.
If you missed it, here’s how the night went through the eyes of the organizers:
Miss Allie’s dance group of six dancers from JJ’s Dance Studio kicked off with the first number that immediately brought us to the amazing vocal performance by our beautiful Hailey Scott. Then we had the pleasure of listening to the younger children perform in a vocal ensemble with the lead singer Lexi Evans. Keep in mind folks – Lexi is just 10 years old! Immediately following this group we had the talented, gorgeous Katie Minnis perform her number titled “Love On Top” by Beyonce. I think we counted four key changes in that song! What a performance she gave. Next came the Tridele’s, three singers – Meeda Berg, Gabrielle Groh and Ramona Brownell – who each sang an Adele song and who each represented the past, the present, and the future Adele. Three different styles with three different absolutely stunning voices! To finish the first act off, we were entertained by the fabulous voice of Lewis Hodgson. What a voice! What an entertainer he is!
The second act introduced us to the world of opera led by the outstanding voices of Amy Wallace and Christopher James Wallace. What a spine tingling performance. I heard someone ask in the audience if Amy’s voice could actually shatter glass when she hit that final note in the Phantom of the Opera. Next to follow was the warm, lyrical, sonorous timbres of Hutch. What a dynamic performance given by him. Following Hutch we had the sensational 10 year old Lexi Evans perform her Broadway number “Sweet Charity.” She stole the show! The sensational Hailey Scott came up next and claimed her fame and fortune to “Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend” followed by another performance given by Amy Wallace performing an Italian aria “Luna.” There were some women in the audience who broke down and cried when Amy sang this Aria – it was so moving and touching! To close off this second act, we were led down a road full of passion, mystery and love for one man performed by the breathy, warm, dynamic vocals of Ramona Brownell – performing her very own creation of “Mr. Grey.”
The final act started off with the delightful, singer/songwriter Clayton Earl. Hearing him sing is like drinking a very exquisite bottle of Merlot! He has rich and very warm timbres to his voice. Next, the beautiful, lyrical voice of James Jones on his guitar and the amazing guitar player Glen Bladon graced the stage. After James, we had the incredible Gina Horswood. My goodness she can perform! She had that audience so engaged – they loved her! We can hardly wait for her concert at the Algonquin Theatre in May. We yet again had the pleasure of listening to Ramona Brownell, backed by Hailey Scott on vocals and Tyler Elis on guitar – perform her heart-wrenching song about a mother’s cry and plea to Jesus to help her troubled daughter. This brought quite a number of tears to some of the woman in the audience who were deeply moved by this emotional performance. To finish the night off we were brought the amazing voice of Lewis Hodgson and the entire cast along with Miss Allie’s dance group.
“What a night to remember!” said Brownell. “My hat is off to all of you performers, all of the helpers, Veronica Leonard, Amber Morrill and to Krystal Pringle and her staff at the Mark O’Meara. What an outstanding job everyone did. You were all my teachers, my partners, and now I hope to call you my friends. We could never have pulled this off without any of you.”
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