In the immortal words of Elvis, my hands were shaking and my knees were weak.
But giving public comments on Dancing with the Shuswap Stars was far easier than being up on that dance floor last year.
For the second year in a row, it was an excellent public event, enjoyed by the hundreds at the community centre and also by many more who watched it streamed online.
I was stunned by the level of hidden dance talent in our fair town — performances were energetic, entertaining, elegant and just plain fun. And I’m sure next year there will be dancers fighting over who gets to perform the cha-cha — which has been the winning pro-am dance for two years running.
I can’t think of a more enjoyable way to raise some cash for a worthy community project.
Huge kudos to all the dancers who volunteered their time, effort and anxiety to lay it on the line in front of the sold-out crowd.
It takes guts to put yourself out there and there are many who would shy away from, rather than accept the challenge. But it is the experience of a lifetime – a true bucket list moment.
The professional instructors from City Dance also deserve many thanks for donating their talents for the cause of the Larch Hills chalet expansion. (By the way, the Larch Hills Ski Area is operated by a non-profit society run entirely by volunteers. It is not a private business venture.)
Another group that deserves just as much recognition, is the organizing committee members, who didn’t put on the sequins or the lederhosen. They were the ones doing all the grunt work, for very little glory, except the knowledge that they are making a difference to our community and bringing a much-needed project to fruition.
None of this would have happened without those behind-the-scene efforts, so I extend my applause to them.
There was another important event taking place this past weekend – the annual unveiling of the Sleigh of Hope at the Mall at Piccadilly. It marks the start of the Salvation Army’s Christmas campaign to help those in need during the holidays.
Part of this includes a tree with gift tags that can be pulled off, asking the recipient to purchase a new toy for a girl or boy of that age. This has become an important tradition in our family. It touches my heart that my kids have already been asking me when we can go pull their tags and listening to them spend a lot of time talking about what might be the perfect present for the anonymous child.
As well, there is the sleigh to be filled with both unwrapped gifts and donations of non-perishable food items.
So remember to take some time, and give what you can. You will be making a difference.