Any high-profile person who is asked to speak at an event in a smaller community tends to pander to his audience.
Jay Onrait was no different on Saturday at the fundraiser held by Estevan Minor Football and the Elecs.
But in watching Onrait work the crowd with stories and one-liners, one got the sense that this city has made a connection with the TSN anchor/comedian.
The biggest roars of the evening probably came when Onrait described a typical night out at the bars in Estevan, hitting on just about every establishment in town, their reputations, and showing that his finger is on the pulse of the city.
The Kraft Celebration Tour is very much a whirlwind and it seems naïve to believe that Onrait and Dan O'Toole would remember much from each stop after it was over.
But Onrait relived more than a few moments from their trip to Estevan last August and singled out several residents for comedic effect.
It was a performance tailor-made for Estevan, yet one that didn't feel forced or as if he was trying too hard.
An enormous number of people packed the Estevan Curling Club to hear Onrait, Don Narcisse and Brendon LaBatte tell their stories, and in the process support a staple of the sports community in Estevan.
Although the two programs have rebounded extremely well from the floods of last year, they still need our help - just as the people involved in other sports, such as soccer and golf, need our help to get back on their feet.
Estevan proved last summer that it is a community that will rally together to support its own, and although the crisis may be over, there is much work left to be done.
Here's betting the city rises to the occasion again.
Josh Lewis can be reached by phone at 634-2654, by e-mail at [email protected], on Twitter at twitter.com/joshlewis306 or on his Bruins blog at estevanmercury.ca/bruinsbanter. Let's just forget what was written in this little space last week, shall we?
