First Dundarave Christmas Fair

The first sign that this would not be an ordinary Saturday in Dundarave Village came at around 11 am, a sound of jingle bells from what was nothing like a one horse open sleigh.  A lone Black Sheep Morrisman stalked down Marine Drive, festooned with a cape of ties from a previous life in office towers, straight for the Red Lion pub.  In short order the pub was filled with teams of them -- three teams to be exact.  They spilled out onto a street closed to traffic and began a dance that defied the dark and cold wet of winter.  At the other corner of the street, to keep things moving in the spirit of Christmas past, Chef Don Guthro and his sweetly efficient collaborators from the Lookout Shelter served up a pulled pork barbeque that had people returning for thirds.  Because he is an honest man with a stage presence, he reverently displayed on a soft bed of vegetables the head of the pig he had roasted.  He allowed us never to take for granted the origins of our food, to always be grateful for what comes to our table.   At the very centre of Dundarave Village, from the Mulgrave choirs to the Red Hot Mammas and Burstin' With Broadway, the light and heat and joy of the Festival came to us in song.  This day marked a fundraising milestone for the Festival, launching it with a running total of $20,000 for the North Shore Shelter.  Councillor Bill Sprovitch was dead on, as usual, when he observed how vital it is for the health and quality of life of our community for us to keep building it together.  We keep the true spirit of the season best when we find new and joyful ways to bring warmth and light and home to the most vulnerable among us.  There's bliss in making sure no one is left out in the cold.

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