On Thursday evening, the inaugural Dock Party on Queen West—a joint fund-raiser for Camp Kirk (a summer camp for children with special needs) and the Taylor Statten Camping Bursary Fund (which provides funding to send disadvantaged children to summer camp)—started as an after-work cocktail reception and then morphed into a late-night party at the Burroughes Building.
"The aim for the party is to attract a younger demographic," said Lyndsay Borschke, who planned the benefit in conjunction with volunteer committees from each organization. "Camp Kirk has always done an after-work cocktail reception in the spring and they've done things like wine tastings. But to attract the younger demographic we wanted to have the event last longer."
A variety of live performances took place from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.—including sets by Stu Henderson, Tessa Jones, Jory Nash, and the Buffalo Builders. The live acts were followed by DJ Patrick Cook, who spun tunes during the late-night barbecue on the rooftop patio, where servers from Aramark offered burgers to guests.
Borschke, a former camp director at the Taylor Statten Camp, began planning the event in February. "It started off as a smaller event, and we were thinking of doing something a little kitschy, like a camp dance," she said. "Then our numbers grew and we had to find a larger venue, so we decided to go with a Muskoka-chic theme and make it a bit more swanky. We've got lovely lighting, wildflowers, and lots of candles."
Van Valkenburg Communications, which handled the audiovisual production for the event, filmed all of the live performances and projected the footage onto a wall in a separate bar area so guests throughout the venue could view the entertainment. Door prizes included Soos jewelry, Corona Muskoka chairs, and a Flat Rock Cellars winery tour and tasting. A silent auction featured a number of photographs of landscapes.
Event sponsors included Style for Style, Corona Extra, Chris Mellor Insurance Brokers, Iceberg Vodka, BMO Nesbitt Burns, Queen Street Partners, and Soos Rocks.