Bidding on Baskets with Panache! at the Canada Agriculture Museum

For immediate release
June 8, 2010

Ottawa—The Canada Agriculture Museum will host its fourth annual Baskets with Panache! fundraising event on Wednesday, June 16 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy gourmet food and wine, along with live entertainment, and will have an opportunity to bid on gift baskets created by community leaders and local organizations. All funds collected will be used to provide underprivileged children with an unforgettable hands-on farm experience through the Museum’s school programs and summer day camps. Tickets are $75 per person, and must be purchased in advance by calling 613-993-7457.

“Far too often, children in our community do not have the financial resources to attend the Museum’s educational school programs or day camps,” says Wally Parsons, Chair of the Baskets with Panache! planning committee. “Baskets with Panache! will enable children from all walks of life to take part in these programs, helping them to see for themselves where our food comes from, along with the importance of agriculture in our daily lives.” The goal is to raise enough funds to give the chance to 10,000 children to benefit from these programs by the end of 2010.

In its first three years, the event has raised $81,000, providing more than 7,000 children the opportunity to participate in exciting educational experiences. Taking place in a heritage barn at the Canada Agriculture Museum, Baskets with Panache! event features the lively setting of a traditional country fair.

“The basket idea comes from a rural tradition in which single women created attractive picnic baskets for auction at country fairs, hoping that the eligible bachelors they fancied would place the winning bid, thus earning the right to share lunch with the basket’s creator,” says Denise Amyot, President and CEO of the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation.

“Teachers often tell us that these programs inspire their classes to think about the animals, crops, careers, science and technology that go into food production. Making these educational experiences more accessible to children with financial challenges benefits the entire community in the long run,” says Kerry-Leigh Burchill, Director General of the Canada Agriculture Museum. “The Museum is grateful to all those who have contributed extremely creative baskets, support and event expertise to make Baskets with Panache! such an ongoing success.”

Auction items include many one-of-a kind themed gift baskets created by community leaders and local organizations. The event also features gourmet foods by Thyme & Again Creative Catering and award-winning wines from Prince Edward County, along with celebrity auctioneer Stuntman Stu of local radio station BOB-FM, and emcee Catherine Clark.

Baskets with Panache! will be held in Building 95 at the Canada Agriculture Museum on Prince of Wales Drive, with free onsite parking. Tickets are $75 per person and include all food, beverages and entertainment. Tickets must be purchased in advance by calling
613-993-7457, or by e-mail at contribution@technomuses.ca.

In addition to Thyme & Again Creative Catering, the wineries of Prince Edward County, and The Saints ‘n’ Sinners live Dixieland band, Baskets with Panache! is proud to be supported by TD Canada Trust, Proulx Brothers, the Ottawa Citizen , the Ottawa Federation of Agriculture, Telus, MacEwen Petroleum Inc., Bell and Advantage Audio Visual Rentals Ltd.

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Information (media):

Caroline Desabrais
Canada Agriculture Museum
613-998-5342
cdesabrais@technomuses.ca

Stephanie Kersey
Knock on Wood Communications + Events
613-236-8452 extension 507
stephanie@kowpr.com