Feature TheReview Wednesday, June 19,1991 — C2 Volunteers g by Valorie Lennox The Review The best show at any commun- ity festival is behind the scenes. “The volunteering, once you get involved, is where you have all the fun.” says Peninsula Celebrations Society president Don Trivett. Behind the scenes is also where the volunteers practice glitchman- ship, the art of handling disasters that make great stories — later. For example, Celebrations Com- mittee President Don Trivett still vividly recalls the 1988 Canada Day celebration, which included distributing pieces of two large birthday cakes to the masses at the close of the ceremony. Everything was ready. The color party was in place, the tables set up and the local member of parlia- ment ready to slice cake. But there were no cakes. Joan Beattie had ordered the cakes, two of them, but somehow no one had been assigned to pick them up from the bakery. It was now 8 p.m. and the cakes were still, theoretically, waiting at the bakery. Trivett and Beattie raced to the bakery. “By. the grace of God there was a cleaning woman there so we ~ got the cakes,” Trivett said. IT TOOK A BREAKING A LEG to do it, buf volunteer Gerry Flint es€aped at least one of his responsibilities during the 1988 Sidney Days. Flint broke his leg shortly before the festival, leading fellow volunteer Chuck Harvey to jokingly hint that Flint arranged the accident to avoid a scheduled Stint in the dunk tank, ANYONE GOT A MATCH? The 2 failed to ignite during <2e fireworks aisplay at the 1990 Canada Day celebrations — until volunteer Gordon Shadbolt lit if manually. Then there was the time former Sidney Mayor Norma Sealey almost ended up as “Miss Sidney’ as well. Sealey was helping ready the Sidney float for the 10 a.m. Esqui- malt Buccaneer Days parade. At 9:55 a:m. the parade was starting to move off — and there was no sign of Miss Sidney or her prin- cesses, who were supposed to mde on the float. Rather than send the float unoc- cupied through the parade, Trivett said, ““We were about to throw Norma on the float as the only girl around.” At the last possible instant Miss Sidney and the princesses arrived woe / FOUND ANOTHER PIECE, announces one assembling the Sidney Days float for another parade. Last year’s float was shared by four previous Miss Sidneys, after and scrambled on to the float. They had been delayed when their car broke down on the trip from Sidney. “Those are the things you laugh about later, but they can cause all kinds of grief at the time,” Trivett said. He dubs the problems ‘glitches’ and suspects solving them is part of the allure of volunteering. Another draw is the lasting friendships which come from doing community projects as a group. “Tt creates a bond between peo- ple.” Syd Young, who handles public- ity for the Celebrations Society, 2 of the volunteers the 1990 Miss Sidney pageant was canceled. glitchmanship also reports a few challenging glitches. The annual Canada Day cele- bration at Tulista Park in 1990 was marred by two technical difficul- ties. First, the public address system quit just as the ceremony was Starting. Next a carefully constructed fireworks display intended to honor the 25th anniversary of the Canadian flag failed to properly ignite. The display included a representation of Niagara Falls, 1989 Sidney Days to move entrants in the annual Pet Dog Show across Tulista Park to the government property where the show was being held. Municipal bylaws prohibit dogs from setting paw in the park, so competing pets were carried in Style over the grass. * For Brenda Clark, who served as society treasurer for five years, Sidney Days was a time for change. : At the start of the weekend, she would be weighed down by $200 ‘Those are the things you laugh about later, but they can cause all kinds of grief at the time’ FATHOM’S LOUNGE is pleased to announce This week’s winner in our weekly BUSINESS CARD DRAW! “the waterfront otel idne Enter to win LUNCH for TWO! ga\ HRUES _2537 Beacon Avenue Sidney, B.C. 656-1131 iI Trane, “A WHARF DINING RGGM two Canadian flags and the num- ber 25. First, the Niagara Falls section collapsed, eliminating that part of the display. Undaunted, volunteer Gordon Shadbolt initiated the remote contro! firing of the fire- works panel. The flags flared, the five spar- kled and the 2 remained dark, costing the flag 20 years of exist- ence until Shadbolt crept in close enough to manually light the string of fireworks outlining the 2. “He took his life in his hands,” Trivett remarked. Young also recalled the advent of the dog taxi, initiated at the to $300 in change. But regardless of how much change she arranged, the closing of the banks was a signal for all venues to begin Tunning out. “Every year you ran out of change. Every year you charge around Sidney begging the store owners to help you out and change a $20 bill. “Every Sidney Days I dreamed about quarters, Clark said. Prevented by her health from volunteering this year, Clark said she misses the challenge. “T miss it dreadfully. I loved it. = Sidney Days was fun — nerve- wracking — but fun.” A ROADWAY BECAME A BOATWAY when entrants inthe 1988 build a quick boat competition took their creations from the building site at Sanscha Hall down Beacon Avenue to the ;2 waterfront. This team was headed by Bent Jesperson. Photographs courtesy of fhe Peninsula Celebrations Society A HOT EVENT was Sidney Days 1988, when Dick Reynolds had to dust down the pavement because the asphalt was beginning to melt and stick to people’s feet. Movie Hot-line 474-2700 HOWCASE THEATRES takes Jess time than going A luxurious’ Cinema located in the heart of Langford at 777 Goldstream. Where, when you take the drive you'll tind not only better prices and free parking but it downtown. + WEDNESDAYS IS YOUR NIGHT « bring this ad in on Wednesdays & be admitted for $3350 at 7 & 9 p.m. Now playing in theatre Don’t tell mom the babysitters dead at 7 & 9:30 p.m. (14 YEARS) Now playing in theatre [2] Backdraft at 7 & 9:30 p.m. Now playing in theatre Kevin Costner ROBIN HOOD Home of Hot Ticket Tuesdays (3.50) & gg¢matinees . wh