It was a grand affair, The Lucky Mermaid Treasure Fair, held on July 25th at the Kemptville ReStore in the incredible Kemptville Mall.
This perfectly sunny Saturday saw the Kemptville ReStore, the sidewalks, parking lot, and a nearby empty storefront transformed into The Lucky Mermaid Treasure Fair. It was an ocean of fun, what with golden treasures, tantalizing pleasures, and amazing adventures all waiting for those who sailed by.
There were games. There were prizes. There were vendors. And there were PUPPIES. A giant garage sale, a silent auction and a vintage car show, too — thanks to the amazing members of the HWY 43 Car Club. But the fun didn’t stop there… we had FREE ICE CREAM, free soda, free popcorn and free snow-cones tempted tummies throughout The Fair, while the free intuitive readings and the Kids’ Treasure Hunt rounded out the activities.
The ReStore staff and volunteers provided the ice cream, B&H Grocers handed out free pop, Michel and Carol Sabourin handled the popcorn & snow-cones, Marie Whitney gave insights with intuitive readings, and Wendy Martin Financial Services captained the Kids’ Treasure Hunt.
| Even the venerable North Grenville Mayor, Nancy Peckford, along with the Editor of The North Grenville Times, Margaret Boyes swam by to check out all the fun and helped to support their local ReStore. And, speaking of support, visitors to The Lucky Mermaid Treasure Fair collected a whopping 132 kilos of food for the Salvation Army Kemptville Food Bank — more than any other food-drive in Kemptville’s history! But what really made it memorable and meaningful for everyone who worked so hard on bringing the dream of The Lucky Mermaid Fair to reality? “For me it was the looks on the faces of the children and parents or grandparents when they realized that the ice cream really was free,” says Ann Hedberg, a Kemptville ReStore Volunteer, “So much surprise and pleasure.” “For me, it was the Kids Treasure Hunt,” said the event organizer, Elizabeth MacKenzie, “Seeing those kids get so excited, tearing all over The Fair in search of clues and then squealing with delight when the affable “Ogre”, Ian Cameron, finally relinquished the sought-after treasure!!! THAT made all the hard work worth it!” |
Similarly, the “Ogre” Ian Cameron, a member of the Kemptville ReStore staff, confesses that he was “surprised that I really got a kick out of playing the ‘Ogre’. The kids were wild, but fun. Definitely a cool moment!”
For Kemptville ReStore Director Lisa Hutt, the most meaningful and memorable thing about The Lucky Mermaid Treasure Fair was “how the community came together for the Food Bank- not just one load, but they had to come back Sunday with a half-ton to pick up the rest! WOW, just, wow!”
Wow, indeed! The Kemptville ReStore pulled off a FAIR. And what a fair it was! Just imagine what we might dream up next! Our fingers are crossed… and we shall ‘sea‘ what comes up over the horizon!
A huge thank-you to all of our volunteers and staff who helped with planning, securing sponsors, prepping the Treasure Market, accepting and arranging donations, lugging tables and chairs, talking to every single person about the event, and all the dozens of other things that went on behind the scenes or at the event itself.
Every effort was absolutely worth it, and it showed in the kids’ smiles, the adults’ laughs, and every last person’s enjoyment of the Treasure Fair.
And, of course, thank you so, SO much for the amazing support of our recurring sponsors! It’s people and businesses like these that truly showcase what a ‘community’ really is!
