It was one of those events that Covid cancelled - over and over again. But in the end, it was well worth the wait. On October 22nd, the George P. Buleziuk Centre was filled with laughter, song and dance - and even a wee bit of fire - as well over 400 people who enjoyed a wonderful evening out with friends.

The Caribbean Cultural event has been a dream of Patricia Kopetski and her friend Cheryl Lenderbeck for quite a few years, when Pat had the idea to bring the joy of her home land to Russell as a fundraiser for a number of local charities.

Originally, the plan to have Caribbean food and dance, came up in about 2019. But then, the social part of life was essentially stopped by the pandemic. From there, over the next couple of years, everytime it appeared that the Covid restrictions may be lifting, Kopetski was on the phone to one provincial department or another, looking to see what the social distancing rules might entail and when she might be able to book the entertainment from Toronto and finally hold the event she’d been dreaming of bringing to town.

While there were some tense times, wondering if it would all work out, when the date finally arrived, the hall was all but full and aside from a few glitches with the sound the system - and a fire alarm set off by the fire eating limbo dancer - the evening was still a fantastic success.

Check this week's Russell Banner for more!