Creative Tables for Cancer will be celebrating its seventh year of being on Thursday, Oct.16. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and supper will follow at 6:30 p.m.
Event organizer, Darlene Olsen, is excited for this year's Creative Tables. The idea first came to her years ago, upon attending a fundraising luncheon in Lampman at a small venue where the site held 60 people and there was always a guest speaker.
"I attended many times and was a guest speaker once, but every time I left I thought we should do this in Arcola," Olsen explained. "Finally I had a friend just book the hall."
"I am a volunteer with Look Good, Feel Better and was involved with a fundraiser fashion show in Regina, for at that time five years. It was something great that people from out here would go into Regina for, so I thought it would be good to have something here for everyone to attend."
Many see the event as a ladies night out, but it is actually a night out for anyone as it fundraises money for Look Good, Feel Better and in the last year, the Moose Mountain Health Care Recruitment Committee.
This year Olsen decided to go back to the roots of the event, so this year during Creative Tables, a fashion show will also be held.
"This year we're doing something a little different," Olsen said. "There will be a fashion show with male and female cancer survivors or people going through treatments modelling."
Supplying fashions will be 122 Main, Kings, and The Pearl Boutique from Carlyle. They will be joined by The Lingerie Shoppe and NWL Fashion from Regina.
"I just wanted something different," Olsen explained. "We always have a guest speaker, though the first year we did have a fashion show. The first was tiny with only 160 in attendance, the next year there was 320, and ever since then we've had 400."
Olsen says she has approximately 15 or 16 models from the local area willing to participate in the fashion show.
Olsen says there are still room for hosts or hostesses interested in decorating a table as well as tickets available to sit at one of the themed tables.
"Each table usually has two hostesses, they come up with a theme and supply dessert for the table," Olsen explained. "Some hostesses invite a table of their friends to serve, while others decorate the table and I sell tickets for them."
Tickets for the evening are $35, with a meal provided and the fashion show to follow.
"We have fantastic raffles this year and a great silent auction, everyone was very generous again this year," Olsen said.
Overall the event has seen everything from more basic table settings to intricate designs, but Olsen says it's about enjoying the evening and every single table is done to perfection.
"In the beginning there was the suggestion to have prizes for the best tables, but you can't just pick one," Olsen explained. "Everybody's ideas are fabulous."
Simply a fun night out for people, Creative Tables is shaping up to be another success. If interested in further information, in hosting a table, or in purchasing tickets to the event, contact Olsen at (306)455-2554.
