It’s a 705 favourite! The 7th Annual Santa Claus Charity Waterski Show returns to Kearney on November 4th and it’s going to be better than ever.
This year, singer-songwriter Johnny Kennedy will kick off the event with a live performance on the dock at Mirror Bay before Canada’s National Waterski Show Team makes waves with a spectacular demonstration of waterskiing, barefooting, and wakeboarding.
And while the show is a bona fide crowd-pleaser that draws people from across the 705, the heart of the event is supporting the Lions Club Food Drive. The goal this year is to raise over $7,000 to support the Burk’s Falls and District Food Bank which is in desperate need of donations. Cash donations, donations via e-Transfer to santaskishow@gmail.com or non-perishable food items are required as admission to the show.
“The number of people dealing with food insecurity is up considerably, including a lot more children. The downturn in the economy, most notably the cost of food, is likely the cause for this increase and also has resulted in much fewer donations. The Santa Ski Show is very much anticipated to help make up for this shortfall.” said Carol Ballantyne, a volunteer at the food bank.
“Hosting the Santa Ski Show in our Town is both an honour and a privilege. While enjoying the show we feel blessed to know that we are contributing to the well-being of our local food bank and in turn our families in need. The support the Santa Ski Show brings to our community is so valuable,” said Mayor Cheryl Philip.
“Muskoka Auto Parts sponsored the Santa Ski Show for the first time last year. We were so excited to help make it the most successful event yet with 4,000 lbs of food donations and over $6,000 going to the Food Bank. Supporting our community is always important to us.” said Daniel Dennis, General Manager of Muskoka Auto Parts Limited.
The Santa Claus Charity Ski Show is made possible by the Kearney Lions Club and local sponsors: Rickward’s Small Motors, Muskoka Auto Parts, Scarlett Point Retreat,SWS Muskoka, NyDock, Muskoka Extreme, Lake of Bays Marina, Reynold’s Excavating, West Edge Building Company, Long and Mcquade Gravenhurst, Fork on Main, Fetterley’s Gas, DJ’s Bar and Grill at the Legion, and Nostalgia Antiques.
705BLACKFLY.COM spoke Kearney Lions Club president Blair Ballantyne. Check out our interview and highlights from last year’s amazing performance!