BONNYVILLE – Glittering gowns, live music, and high stakes on the golf course, this year’s Clayton Bellamy Foundation for the Arts Gala & Golf weekend brought the community together Aug. 29–30 in Bonnyville to raise money for the performing arts theatre.
Although Clayton Bellamy himself could not attend in person, sending a heartfelt video message instead while on tour in Australia with the Road Hammers, the spirit of his vision filled the room.
“Welcome to the third annual Clayton Bellamy Foundation Gala and Golf,” Bellamy said in his message. “Together, we have raised $2.1 million towards our $2.7 million goal in just three years. An incredible feat.”
Foundation vice president Lise Fielding explained why the event remains so important. “This is a fundraiser, it’s our third annual gala fundraiser,” she said. “So, we've raised $2 million. And that's partly from our sponsors, which are numerous, but also from these galas.”
She noted that almost $450,000 has been raised through the galas alone. But the work isn’t done yet. “We're still $650,000 in debt. So, we need to have this, even though the theater's built, we have to have this gala in order to chop down some of that debt.”
The newly opened Bonnyville Strathcona Performing Arts Centre was the ultimate inspiration for the night. “In the first place, all of it is to open up the theater. And it's open now,” Fielding added, explaining that the first two years focused on construction, while this year’s fundraiser was aimed at paying down debt.
The evening featured a mix of entertainment and fundraising, including a bursary presentation, live auction hosted by Danny Hooper, and performances from artists such as Patricia Conroy.
Hooper, celebrating a milestone himself, reflected, “This is my 50th year in the entertainment business. One of the first places I played back in 1975 when I started my career was here in Bonnyville.”
Town of Bonnyville Mayor Elisa Brosseau also took the stage to welcome guests. “On behalf of myself, Town Council, who is all here this evening, just want to welcome you all to this gala,” she said, before recognizing the community’s place on Treaty 6 land.
Fielding hoped guests left with more than just memories of music and auctions. “I hope that they think that this was a classy affair and that it was a lot of fun,” she said. “Everything that we do, I mean, we do give away a bursary tonight for $2,500. So part of these proceeds go toward that. And they will impact the arts and youth just in being able to keep that theatre open.”
