NEWS RELEASE
LIVING GREEN BARRIE
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One of the most unique and creative events in southern Ontario is returning later this month and tickets are selling fast.
The Gala in the Woods is a night of inspiration that combines upscale glamour with retro glamping as folks don their boots, suits, and gowns for an evening of joyfulness under the pavilion in Springwater Provincial Park.
“It’s a whole vibe. We aim to make it a complete sensory experience with a focus on joy and human connection,” says Andee Pelan, executive director of Living Green Barrie. “We have created an event that considers esthetics and beauty, music and nature, incredible food that tastes as good as it smells, and the emotional feeling one gets from being with your friends singing around a campfire and being connected to others.”
When guests arrive, they follow a candle-lit pathway through a forest trail to the pavilion, where they are greeted by elegant decor oozing with rustic charm. The natural setting beside a gorgeous pond among the trees and birds promises the best of nature. The lighting is designed to enhance the forest’s features, not overwhelm it. The forest is the decor.
The menu has been created by one of the Barrie area’s top chefs, Melanie Robinson, owner of the Eclectic Café and winner of Chopped Canada. Known for her innovative culinary approach, chef Robinson and her team will be serving a hyper-fresh, farm-to-table menu that features dishes like grilled bison steak salad with fire-roasted peaches, maple roasted honey nut squash with gremolata and black garlic labneh, and chicken piccata over warm niçoise.
Chef Robinson has stepped up to the challenge of sourcing ingredients from farms and producers within 100 kilometres of Barrie. The menu highlights our region’s abundance of incredible local food and reflects the gala’s commitment to sustainability. A Sept. 21 event means that the menu can be curated to exquisitely highlight the fresh flavours of peak-season Ontario food.
In keeping with the theme of locally produced food and beverages, there will be a signature cocktail, wine, beer and spirits and non-alcoholic options. There is also going to be a special secret dessert designed to delight the playful inner child of the guests.
The evening is about joyful connection and playfulness. There will be art, music and humour. One of the features returning this year is the campfire sing-along led by local musician and choirmaster Brett Caswell. Singing together is not only a joyful experience, but it is one of the best ways to feel truly connected to each other.
Living Green’s mission is to help people to engage with climate change. How Living Green intends to do that is through creating a community of hopeful, engaged people who want the world to simply be better.
“We want people to feel energized and connected to the land and to each other,” Pelan adds. “It seems that cynicism and negativity is rampant nowadays, and climate change seems to be too big of a beast for any one person to slay. But we also know that fear and negativity is not motivating. This is why building a community of optimistic and hopeful people is absolutely vital to our survival. The Gala in the Woods hopes to raise money for local climate action programs, but also, it is about building a community of good folks who want to build a great society.”
One of the many unique features of this event is that it produces almost no waste and net-zero carbon emissions. Impressively, last year’s gala with 130 guests produced only a single small bag of waste that was the size of a small cantaloupe.
“There’s no greenwashing here; we are ‘walking the walk’ and ‘talking the talk,’” says Pelan.
She adds that Living Green Barrie is focused on providing an example of how to tackle the climate crisis by involving community and business partners in hopeful and simple actions.
The Gala in the Woods promises to be a shining example of how thoughtful planning, and a bit of creative thinking, can create an experience that combines inspirational fun with ethical sustainability. It will be a night unlike any other. With limited tickets available and high demand, this is an exclusive opportunity for an evening of magic, indulgence, and inspiration.
Event details:
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024
- Time: 5 p.m.
- Location: Springwater Provincial Park, Midhurst
For tickets and more information visit www.livinggreenbarrie.com. Join us for an enchanting evening that celebrates the harmony between nature and sophistication.
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