My good friend Dean Hueman of Focus Communications — their offices are in the CN Tower, y’know — was just doing his job getting the word out about the Toast of The Town, this Saturday night at the River Cree Hotel and Casino.
Funds raised go to a south-side haven we all hope we don’t have to get to know intimately, but if we do, we thank the Good Lord it’s there: the Cross Cancer Institute.
The annual event honours someone who has done something amazing in their lives, and Edmonton has been the beneficiary of their efforts.
And this year, Cal Nichols is the gentleman who is being celebrated, as he certainly should, Saturday.
Hueman sent me a note recently asking me if I would be interested in talking to Nichols.
Now, I always welcome the chance to have a conversation with Nichols because I always — and I mean always — learn something new from him.
But no thanks, Mr. Hueman.
I am going to use my columnist perk, and share my thoughts about Nichols.
I certainly have a few.
First, he has better timing than someone who shakes a mean tambourine.
When the Toast of the Town was announced a few months ago in the Hall of Fame Room — in Rogers Place, y’know — I was kind of concerned about the date of the event.
The third Saturday in April.
Hockey playoffs just getting started.
If the Edmonton Oilers opened the playoffs, at home, Saturday night, Nichols and all his hockey friends — and there are armies of them — could very well be listening to the Oilers broadcast, or, even having television sets plugged in around the banquet room to keep tabs on the game.
But give a tip of the hat to Asake, a Nigerian musician, who will be singing Saturday night at Rogers Place. That means the rink is not available.
No rink.
No Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Nichols and friends can enjoy the night Saturday without checking the scoreboard.
The ironic piece of this is such a scenario of worrying about the Oilers double-booking with the Toast of The Town event comes right around, back to Nichols.
Because when the Oilers were spinning the rumour mill with substantiated reports the team was moving away from Edmonton, Nichols spearheaded the charge to keep the team in Edmonton and solicited 38 business owners to come up with $60 million to keep an National Hockey League franchise in Edmonton. Interestingly, the only larger professional sports ownership group is the Green Bay Packers, who have 537,000 shareholders.
Moreover, the deal was worth multi million dollars. Yet, someone had to have that selfless drive to make a difference.
Nichols did. So isn’t it most appropriate to be celebrating Nichols Saturday, the closing day of National Volunteer Week?
Just sayin’
Sarah McLachlan is performing Saturday night at the Jubilee Auditorium and will, probably, be singing I Will Remember You.
And yes, Cal, I sure will remember you, for all you have done.
(You can donate at toastofthetownccf.com)
camtait58@gmail.com
TAIT: Fundraiser honours man instrumental in keeping Oilers in Edmonton
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19.04.2024
My good friend Dean Hueman of Focus Communications — their offices are in the CN Tower, y’know — was just doing his job getting the word out about the Toast of The Town, this Saturday night at the River Cree Hotel and Casino.
Funds raised go to a south-side haven we all hope we don’t have to get to know intimately, but if we do, we thank the Good Lord it’s there: the Cross Cancer Institute.
The annual event honours someone who has done something amazing in their lives, and Edmonton has been the beneficiary of their efforts.
And this year, Cal Nichols is the gentleman who is being celebrated, as he certainly should, Saturday.
Hueman sent me a note recently asking me if I would be interested in talking to Nichols.
Now, I always welcome........
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