There were laughs, heartfelt moments and more than a little good-natured chirping Monday evening at the Atlantic Superstore Celebrity Dinner Gala.
The annual event is a major fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Summerside and the community came out again in support of the organization.
Hundreds of people attended the event, which was held at Credit Union Place, including sports, media and music stars who leant their names and their talents.
A long line of people stretched from one seat in particular, occupied by legendary Canadian heavyweight boxer George Chuvalo.
Chuvalo has been a frequent speaker at and supporter of the Summerside Boys and Girls Club.
Monday night he signed autographs and took photos with plenty of admirers. He also took home the Boys and Girls Club’s Humanitarian Keystone Award for all of his community work.
Rickey Miller made the trip to Summerside from Kingston, N.B. for the celebrity gala and has been doing so for several years. He got a couple of pictures signed by Chuvalo.
“Not many people fought Muhammad Ali twice and didn’t get knocked down,” he said, speaking of his desire to get Chuvalo’s autograph.
“This event does well every year. I hope it continues, it’s a very fun event,” he added.
Some of the many other highlights of the evening included the awarding of the $10,000 Ted Rogers Scholarship Fund to Jill Culleton, the acknowledgement of the Youth, Girl and Boy of the Year, which were Logan Reis, Chloe Hardy, and Jacob Katmouz. There was also a question and answer session with Vegas Golden Knights Head Coach Gerrard “Turk” Gallant and assistant coach Mike Kelly.
Both Gallant and Kelly got standing ovations from the large crowd as their names were announced as part of the celebrity lineup.
Both men spoke about their past season, in which they helped lead the Knights to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Sportsnet commentator Daren Millard introduced the men and joked that he doubted there was anyone in Summerside who does not have Gallant’s cellphone number.
Gallant laughed at the comment, but also said he got more than 200 text messages congratulating him after one of the team’s many wins.
“So, for some of you people who were texting me, I have a new number,” he joked.
Both men thanked their communities for their support.
There was no word as of Wednesday how much money the gala dinner raised for the Boys and Girls Club, but the event continued Tuesday and Wednesday with the Novus Celebrity Golf Tournament.
