That's Amore! In Verona

Jeff Green | Mar 14, 2013

Close to one hundred female diners had no trouble imagining a night out in the quaint Italian city of Verona thanks to organizers of the latest Sisters By Heart event titled "That's Amore!" Sisters By Heart events take place regularly at The Verona Free Methodist Church and organizers hold the events as a way of providing female fellowship in Verona and the surrounding local community. Organizers and volunteers transformed the sanctuary of the church on the evening of March 4 into an exclusive Italian style restaurant and for a $5 ticket, guests dined at tables decorated with Italian themed centrepieces. They were served a dinner of insalata alla Cesare, spaghetti con sugo di carne and gelato alla vaniglia. There was ample entertainment interspersed throughout the dinner, including the polished vocal stylings of golden-voiced Kathy Rice of Westport who was accompanied by Kathy Casement on guitar/vocals, Darlene Snider on keyboards/accordion/vocals and Erica Forbes on bass.

One musical highlight of the evening was the two Kathys' duet of the Italian/English aria “The Prayer “ made famous by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion, which received a thunderous standing ovation. Kathy Johnson generated ample laughter from the crowd performing “Ditzy's Travelogue”, a comedic slide show tour of Italy's most famed historic sights in which she shared numerous historical facts about Italy and its ancient architecture. Evelyn Snider, one of the event's organizers, rewarded the diners’ knowledge of Italian cuisine in her “Italian Food Challenge” which engaged diners in a multiple choice quiz on terms like gnocchi, biscotti, tartufo, fazzolitti, zuppa Inglese and more.

The guest speaker of the evening was Ann Foster, one of several pastors at the Smiths Falls Free Methodist Church. Ann works full time at the Brockville Mental Health Centre as an administrative/clinical secretary. She spoke candidly (and with humour) about her difficult upbringing, the challenges she has faced, and how her faith in Jesus Christ helps her live a purposeful and joyous life of excellence. For those who missed the latest installment of Sisters By Heart, their next event will take place on Monday May 6 and the theme will be “A Teddy Bear Picnic”.