By Frank Peebles
Special to the Observer
A popular local charity is putting COVID behind them with A Bloody Good Bash.
Local entertainers and other supporters are venturing out for a night of dining and dancing to benefit the region’s premier tourist attraction. The Bloody Good Bash will raise the roof at Troll Ski Resort to raise funds for the Friends Of Barkerville – Cariboo Goldfields Historical Society on Saturday, Oct. 22, starting at 5 p.m.
“We’re hoping people want to get out and enjoy some entertainment again,” said Grant Johannesen, Vice-President of the FOB-CGHS.
It’s the first public gathering for the group in a couple of years, with the intention to restore a flow of income so they can restore their efforts to enhance and maintain the historical profile of Barkerville and other points of gold rush interest.
“This is for general funding support for our many projects,” Johannesen said. “One thing we’re working on is brushing the Cariboo Waggon Road from Stanley to Barkerville. We’re trimming that up, adding signage and getting it ready for hikers and bikers. There is no motorized access in that area because of the caribou habitat in there, so that trail work is a good thing for the hikers and bikers. But that is just one example. We are busy with a lot of projects.”
The FOB-CGHS has been doing such projects since 1985 when its first incarnation was launched. Millions of dollars have been raised since then, and this year they attained official charitable status in the eyes of Revenue Canada.
“We are hoping people are looking to get back out there and enjoy some socializing,” said Johannesen. “We will have a silent auction, so you can maybe get some good deals on interesting things. We will have a dinner and a cash bar. Entertainment will be provided by Amy Newman doing her one-woman show called My Life In The Goldfields, and live music by a great band, The Interstellar Jays. It’s a pretty jam-packed night of fun.”
Tickets to the Bloody Good Bash on Oct. 22 are available at Rocky Peak in Quesnel. Prices are $60 each or $500 for a table of 10.
Membership in the Friends Of Barkerville – Cariboo Goldfields Historical Society is another way to contribute, with fees at $30 each or $20 per couple, with perks included.
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: rebecca.dyok@quesnelobserver.com
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