October 8, 2009

Country dance will begin new fund-raising effort for RVH

Country music fans are invited to kick up their heels to kick off a new fund-raising project for the Renfrew Victoria Hospital.

It all begins with a dance featuring the award-winning band South Mountain at the AFAC Wing in Renfrew on Friday (October 16). Organizers are hoping this will lead to a series of special events dedicated to raising funds for green space development in the form of a healing garden to honour cancer patients at the hospital.

Charlie Kitts, who will be master of ceremonies for the evening, explains that this is an extension of a similar project that created a cancer survivors’ garden in Ottawa in conjunction with The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. As a satellite of the Ottawa regional cancer service, as well as the site where Kitts was born, RVH was chosen as the natural next site for such a project.

The premier event for the project features a stellar line of musical artists. South Mountain includes award-winning fiddler Don Reid and Steve Pitico, who was recently inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame and regularly performs at the Grand Old Opry and as a session player in Nashville. In addition to the headline act, the evening will also feature performances by The Rogers, with Renfrew’s own Jennifer Johnston, and The Mississippi Girls of Lanark County, who performed 10 nights running at the Ottawa Ex this year. Special guest Al Brisco will also be there with his steel guitar.

“It’s a strong, strong line-up to start things off,” says Kitts, who notes that a committee is being formed to plan future fund-raising activities.

“We’re expecting this to be the beginning of great things,” he adds.

Tickets for the dance are $15. They will be available at the door. The music will begin at 8:00 p.m. and run until midnight.

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(For more information, contact Barb Desilets, Director, Renfrew Victoria Hospital Foundation, 613-432-4851, ext. 263.)