NEILBURG – The village of Neilburg came alive Feb. 10, with the sounds of classic country music coming from the Neilburg Community Hall. The Manitou Pioneers Museum were holding its annual winter fundraiser, with the help of a past Canadian Idol.
Jaydee Bixby, who was the runner-up at the 2007 season of the show, travelled to the village with his full band to entertain and help raise money for the museum.
Dale Herbert, president of the MPM, said the committee was struggling to find an entertainer for the upcoming event.
“My husband and I attended the Speckle Park Show and Sale. Each year after the sale, an entertainer is brought in, who just happened to be Jaydee Bixby. I remember cheering for him each week while he was on Canadian Idol. The man I saw on stage was not the 17-year-old from the television anymore,” she laughed.
She spoke to Bixby during a break that night, asking if he would be interested in coming to Neilburg.
“He was just amazing to work with. He made sure that our budget was not over-extended and that having him there would be for the greater good,” added Herbert.
According to Herbert, the evening went better than she had expected. Only nine tickets were unsold and a few seats were empty because those who purchased were unable to attend and the hall was full.
“It was great to see such a variety of age groups out for the evening. I expected most would be gone by 10 p.m., but there was a bunch of younger folks that stayed until 2 a.m. Bixby said he would keep playing if people were dancing, but he packed it up around midnight,” she said.
Along with ticket sales, the MPM also sold raffle tickets on four draws and held a 50/50. Winner of the 50/50 was Brayden Bertoia, who in turn donated the winnings of $585 back to the MPM.
“We knew that the other sales from the event would help us keep the museum going, but to have that kind of a donation given back to us, we were so surprised and grateful,” said Herbert.
The MPM currently has 15 members on their board, including a 94-year-old, who was honoured at the Valentine’s event. Edna Jeffery, who is still an active member of the museum, was gifted with a bouquet for her years of help and devotion to the museum and to the communities of Marsden and Neilburg.
The museum board has some plans for fundraising along with some fun for everyone.
“We are not sure yet what we want to do, but we encourage everyone to become a member and stay tuned for future plans,” added Herbert.
