By Pepper Parr, BURLINGTON, ON.
August 13th, 2013.
All the committees were in place, the organizational part of the This Magic Moment events were coming along fine – but the organizers felt is needed just a bit of a push and so they held a press conference at the Waterfront Hotel.
Getting those hula hoops to whirl around ones waist wasn’t quite as easy as Connie Smith, shown in the upper right, thought it was going to be.
Everyone involved in the event was on hand to do an update. To give the occasion a little pizzaz someone brought in three hula hoops which they wanted people to use. Expecting people like Keith Strong and Wayne Brown to be able to manage a hula hoop was a stretch. One needs a waist to make hula hoops whirl around your body and you also need to be able to move your hips. Except for Connie Smith and J. Scott Robertson, few of the others had waists. That was a hoot to watch.
While the event is all about having a lot of fun and giving those who are collecting or about to collect pensions, a reason to get out of the house and maybe give husbands and wives an opportunity to look at each other in a way they’ve not looked at them for a while. But there is a bigger purpose and that is to do what Burlington does very well – giving back to the community.
This all got going in September of 2012, when a group led by Keith Strong, called the Halton Cares Community, organized an event that would raise funds to support police officer who may have been seriously injured or lost their lives while serving the community. They called the event: Halton Heros. They chose the tried and true Burlington route which is to hold a gala. The first was held last September and raised $140,000.
Wayne Brown and his wife attended that evening and bought a table for 12 which they auctioned off to raise funds for the event. That auction went so well that Strong convinced Brown to put up two tables. After the event Brown came up with an idea he thought could be run for five, maybe seven or ten years that would also raise funds for the Halton Heros.
Scott Robertson on the left and Wayne Brown, center, serve as Co-chairs of the Magic Moment event. Keith Strong, on the right heads up the Halton Community Cares organization that Magic Moment proceeds will support.
Wayne Brown and Scott Robertson felt there was an opportunity to hold an event that would really appeal to Burlington`s older demographic – the music from the 50`s, 60`s and 70`s.
Hold it in a place where thousands could attend. Charge a really affordable price. Promote the daylights out of it – and see what happens.
Strong liked the idea and everyone hit the phones. It didn’t take them long – and they scored a real coup when Reg Titian managed to get the Drifters to travel to Burlington to perform.
Robbie Lane, a 60’s heart throb, will co-host the Magic Moment with Connie Smith at Nelson Park September 14th
With Connie Smith on board that meant Robbie Lane was going to be available – heck they worked almost side by side for a period of time. Wherever Lane goes the Disciples aren’t far behind. Smith started going through her list of contacts and that brought them Stuart MacDonald, the singing cop – and it just kept growing from there.
For Wayne Brown and Scott Robertson it looked like the event was going to be a major success. They saw the project as a way for the community to show their appreciation to local law enforcement. Both Brown and Robertson, serving as co-chairs, feel fortunate to live in Halton and are grateful for the success that they have experienced in this community.
