The Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts started the new year on a high note with a hugely successful fundraiser.
The annual fundraiser was rebranded this year as Battleford Shines, an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the artistic talent of North Battleford.
“The turnout was great, with over 200 people in attendance,” says Kali Weber, the general manager of the Dekker Centre. “It was wonderful for the first time we’d done this particular fundraiser.”
The gala evening featured 20 acts on stage, which included theatre performers, musicians, and dancers. Guests were able to browse a gallery display of drawings, paintings, and photography in the lobby before the show, which highlighted the community’s visual artists.
Students from North Battleford Comprehensive High School held a live art auction, beginning the pieces at the start of the show and completing them by intermission so attendees could bid on them.
Weber is thrilled with the amount of money raised by the event, which reached the centre’s goal of over $10,000.
“Right now, we’re looking at having an active fundraising program that has a robust operating budget,” Weber says. “This was a great way to start off the year.”
The Dekker Centre is a not-for-profit civic space that was opened in 2012 with a mission to provide high quality arts entertainment and cultural programming to the area. It was a priority for the center to feature local talent for its fundraiser.
“As a community facility, it is very important that people within the community are using the space. When we showcase our local performers, it brings in a different group of people who may not have attended before,” Weber says. “We’re all about expanding our reach and being able to bring in local artists.”
Weber is thankful to all those members of the community who came together for Battleford Shines.
“We’d like to say thank you to all the people who gave time to this event, who supported the Dekker Centre and who want to see diverse arts and cultural events happening in the community,” Weber says.
For more information about the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts, please visit its website at www.dekkercentre.com.
