PROVIDENCE BAY—Even before the doors were open and the Double Barrel band had begun to play, people were waiting in their cars outside the Providence Bay Hall on October 27, anxious for the party to start. Everyone was excited to participate in the Harvest Ball community dance that had previously run each fall for roughly 15 years but had been curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020.
“It was great!” enthused Adrienne Farquhar-Kuula, executive director of Community Living Manitoulin (CLM). “The turn-out was amazing, the food was fabulous, the band was outstanding, and the dance floor was jammed the entire evening. Everybody had a fantastic time.”
There were several ‘firsts’ at this year’s event. Staff, residents of the group homes and individuals living in the community were joined by their counterparts from Community Living Wikwemikong. Special Olympics’ staff and athletes took part in the festivities, as well, as did many family members of participants in both organizations. An estimated 100 to 125 people in all attended.
Something else different this year was a Harvest Ball volunteer committee made up of managers and six CLM staff members who did the planning, purchasing, scheduling and decorating for the celebration. For the first time, there was also extensive promotion of the event on social media to encourage everyone from across the Island to take part. Equally impressive, all the food for the evening was put together by a combination of staff and individuals under CLM care who prepared cold cuts, cheese and veggie trays as well as lots of tasty sweets for dessert.
Ms. Farquhar-Kuula is effusive in her praise for the outstanding contributions of staff members who gave their personal time to make sure the event would be a great success. “I’m so grateful for their dedication and their guidance, as this was my first Harvest Ball and I had a lot to learn.” She also had high praise for the Double Barrel band, which has performed at every Harvest Ball since the annual autumn dances began and that played non-stop for three hours to the delight of patrons. After three years of missing out on all the fun, it was hard to wrap up the event as people lingered until the last note was played.
