The first social fundraiser of the fall season takes place next weekend at Ladner’s Greystone Stables.
The Delta Firefighters' Charitable Society presents its sixth annual Harvest Festival on Saturday, Sept. 15, which thanks to the generosity of the community and many sponsors, is sold-out again.
The Harvest Festival brings the agricultural community together with other local businesses and community leaders to celebrate the harvest season while raising money for great causes.
“We will have more than 450 folks out dressed up in their cowboy hats, boots and flannel shirts all having a great time,” said Delta Firefighters' Charitable Society president John Burr. “Last year we raised more than $106,000. This is the biggest charitable event of the year for us.”
Burr said the primary beneficiary for this year is Delta Reach Child and Youth Development Society.
“We are sponsoring a program called the Connex program, which helps the families in Delta deal with fetal alcohol syndrome of which there are at least 20 families using it in Delta,” said Burr. “The program was funded by the provincial government, but those funds shut off in June, so our goal is to raise enough funds to help them continue the program this year and into next year. It’s about a $45,000 program.”
Other event highlights include locally sourced food for the buffet dinner, live music, mechanical bull riding, photo booth, casino and other games, a silent auction and a live auction with some amazing trips, including a fishing package and a house boat getaway to the Shuswap, and the famous dinners where firefighters cook and serve 12 guests.
“The community has been absolutely awesome with us. Every year the event just seems to get a bit bigger,” said Burr. “We get a lot of people who donate in-kind – everything from the food for the buffet dinner to auction prizes. If it wasn’t for Mike’s generosity at Greystone Stables and all our other sponsors, we would never be able to put on the event. It’s always a fun night. We want to create a great atmosphere where people can socialize, have a great time and raise money for a great cause.”
