​Gala raises $14,500 for new roof at the Walker House in Kincardine

It was a full house in the banquet room at Ainsdale Golf Course for the gala, held Saturday night, April 13, in support of the Walker House in Kincardine.

And thanks to the generosity of the crowd and the community, the event raised $14,500 toward the “Raise the Roof” campaign to replace the roof on Kincardine’s oldest building.

Despite the power outage, the event proceeded, thanks to the hard work of Ainsdale owners Taylor and Charles Candler, and a generator.

Guests at the gala were greeted by Paddy and Jane Walker (Sid and Jaki Mayer Duggan) and once everyone was seated, a delicious meal was enjoyed. MC Mike Brough kept things lively as people went through the buffet line.

Sylvia Leigh of the Paddy Walker Heritage Society welcomed the crowd and noted that the society’s job is to preserve this building which is an important part of Kincardine’s heritage.

Entertainment during the meal was provided by John Low on piano, and later “Paddy and Jane” also sang for the crowd, noting the loss this past year, of June Daniel, a great historian and strong supporter of the Walker House.

Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb then took the microphone and conducted the live auction of a wide variety of items, including pies, golf packages, a lap quilt, a home-cooked dinner for four, a custom barbecue freezer pack, and Blue Jays tickets.

The bidding was brisk and some items went as high as $1,000.

There were also draws for raffle prize winners and a door prize winner, and the evening ended with a dance.

Thanks to the fund-raising committee, “Friends of Paddy and Jane,” a mail-out has already raised $18,000 for the new roof. So, when combined with the proceeds from the gala, the goal of $30,000 has been met for the project.