The rains of the past few weeks are telling us summer is over. The days are getting shorter and the sun is not as warm.
But not to worry. We really needed that rain and there is something quite lovely about the fall, when we can sit in front of a cozy fire, enjoying a glass of wine in the company of family and good friends. Now, more to the point, there’s an event coming this fall that will not only be a lot of fun, but will raise funds for Bowen Islanders in need.
Tickets for the fifth annual Bowen Island International Wine Festival are now available at the Bowen Beer and Wine Cellar. Ever our genial host and event organizer, Paul Rickett will welcome and introduce more than 60 wines from international and B.C. vineyards. And food to complement these selections will be catered by our local chef extraordinaire Matt Matheson.
The most noble and fulfilling part of your participation in this indulgence? Proceeds from the event will support the Bowen Island Community Foundation’s Helping Hand Fund. Sip and savour knowing that you are also making a contribution to your community. This fund provides assistance for vulnerable individuals and families on Bowen “who are suffering as a result of unemployment, serious injury or illness, or severe personal financial hardship.”
The maximum grant is $1,000 and confidentiality is guaranteed individual names of grant recipients are never made public.
As Shelagh Mackinnon, our former chair of Helping Hand once put it, “It is not a loan, but a grant, a gift; a way of saying ‘you are not alone and the caring of island residents is with you.’” Since 2013 the Community Foundation has committed to providing an annual amount of $10,000 for this initiative – and wine tasting is a key to that funding.
So don’t delay; the event has sold out every year. Tickets are $55 and only 115 are available from the Bowen Beer and Wine Cellar. The event will is October 25 at Evergreen Hall from 6:30 to 9 p.m. And if you park at the Community School, a shuttle will be provided to and from the event.
A final word of caution – by all means enjoy yourself, but please drink responsibly. It’s a wine tasting, after all, not a reprise of a Roman Bacchanalia.
