Italian Night in Arden

Wanda Harrison | Oct 13, 2016

For the past five years or so the Kennebec Recreation Committee has organized a successful and fun-filled Italian experience in Arden.

This year the Italian Night was held on Sept. 24 and with the hall decorated in the “Italian” theme, the committee welcomed the guests. Thanks to Kathy Barr and her team of volunteers, salad and garlic bread were served at the tables, and the pasta was ready to be consumed. Throughout dinner, the sweet lilts of Italian music filled the hall. Bartender, Dave Moore, kept the wine flowing while guests finished their dinner and prepared for the tiramisu and fruit.

As dinner was ending and the band was preparing, Master of Ceremonies, Jim Duthie, told a few Italian ditties, some funny and some groaners. The band of the evening was Carleton Place’s own “Diplomats” led by Gary O'Meara, a nice east coast guy. After introducing themselves and their guest singers, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, the audience was entertained with a number of standards as well as some sing-alongs.

As the evening progressed, a Kennebec Rec Committee member and dancer extraordinaire, Jeff Matson, could no longer remain seated. Not only was he dancing, but he got others up off their chairs as well.

Another guest band, Mexican I think, made an appearance and after some samba music led the audience in a Conga line. Not to be outdone there was also a visit from a member of the armed services and tributes to our forces. The lone commando visited the audience and not only introduced himself, but his horse as well.

With the evening drawing to a close, the band helped with some door prizes and the chair thanked everyone who participated in the evening.

The Kennebec Recreation Committee leads the way in offering many physical and mental exercises in the community. Line dancing, Tai Chi, Fit & Fun and seniors’ baseball encourage all to get off their sofa and move, while Euchre provides mental exercise. The group is most proud of their sponsorship of the Kids Klub organized here in Arden. Supervised by Connie and Boyd Tryan, the children have an organized and safe place to get together for reading, crafts and sing-a-longs. The Victoria Day fireworks are another of the sponsored events.

The Kennebec Recreation Committee is a committee of Central Frontenac Council and enjoys their interaction with all residents. You can support the committee in many ways. You can join into one of the many sponsored exercise programs, purchase a ticket to one of the fundraising events or make a donation, for which you will receive a tax receipt. You could also share some of your ideas with the committee by coming out and joining the group. We’d be happy to have you join in any way you wish! Thanks to all!