By Heather Killen
Spectator
NovaNewsNow.com
Mr. Lahey is leaving the trailer park behind and helping the Annapolis Royal skate park and community pool.
John Dunsworth, from the Trailer Park Boys and Haven, is premiering his new show An Evening of Stories, in a benefit at King's Theatre on February 26. Best known as Mr. Lahey on the television series Trailer Park Boys, Dunsworth has spent the past year writing stories from his life.
Sally O’Grady, event organizer, said she is pleased Dunsworth is able to bring this premier show to Annapolis Royal to benefit the community. She’s also glad he’s reprising his role as auctioneer for the evening.
“This is the first stop of his show that will be touring Canada,” she said. “He has so many funny stories to tell from growing up in a family of 10, to his time on the road as a performer.”
The stories are part of an audio book titled "Stories" which is now available online at www.johndunsworth.com.
This is the second time Dunsworth has given his time and talent to the pool and skate park. His ties to Annapolis Royal actually date back many years to an early children’s theatre at King’s, according to O’Grady a longtime friend.
He was last here in 2009 for a pre-Oscar night fundraiser for the Friends of the Annapolis Pool Society and Annapolis Society for Youth-Friendly Public Spaces (a skate park slated to open this spring).
Artists Donate Work
Various artist have donated work that will be auctioned off during the gala and glitz a la Chez Francois evening of music, entertainment, and appetizers. O’Grady says the art auction promises to be another high point of the evening’s entertainment.
Heddy van Gurp, of Moose River Rug Hooking, has donated a unique hand-painted chair for the evening complete with a handmade chair pad. The chair and pad design, themed in honour of Dunsworth, are adorned with sailboats and scrabble letters.
“He’s wordsmith and a sailor,” she said. “And he’s such a wonderful auctioneer, he had me bidding against myself last time.”
Local artists including Angela Chartier (Catfish Moon), Deb Kuzyk and Ray Mackie (Lucky Rabbit Pottery), Wayne Boucher and Terri Roscoe, Sarah Pavia, Pat Lohrenz, Sherri Caldwell, and Paula Buxton are among those contributing hand-painted floor mats that will be auctioned off during the evening.
Pool And Park
As before, proceeds of the evening will be evenly divided between the pool society and the new skatepark. While the outdoor pool is relatively new, it still requires regular maintenance and upkeep. The construction of the skate park, approved for land near the French Basin Trail, is hoped to take place in three phases as funding permits, according to O’Grady.
The skate park design incorporates native plants in the landscaping and the cost for all three phases is slated at about $200,000. While the group has raised only about $50,000, they want to proceed now with the first phase.
She added that several of the skaters that began working on this project about six years ago are almost ready to graduate from high school, so it’s necessary to get something in the ground for them as soon as possible.
The group also wants to pay a special tribute to one of its most loyal supporters, the late Grant Potter who was Annapolis Royals recreation director. Given the time and energy already invested by the community and the kids, the main goal this year is to start the project and grow it slowly over time, she added.
First Phase
“We’ll be building it with the intention of adding on later,” she said. “Most of the cost will be laying the foundation. It would have been less expensive to start on an existing base.”
O'Grady added that she is grateful to all the volunteers in the community who continue to give their time and talent to the skate park and the pool. They hope to break ground on the first phase of the new park this spring and aim to open in June, in time for Go Skateboarding Day on June 21.
“It’s the strength of the community that put us here,” she said. “We wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the generosity of the people here.”
Tickets for the Evening of Stories are $25 and available to purchase at Kings Theatre. Go to www.kingstheatre.ca or phone 532-7704.
