Second Annual Chili Night

Chili dinner a fundraiser for Regina's Souls Harbour
Regina Leader-Post
Braden Husdal

REGINA -- A meal of chili and rice isn't often associated with private parties and a night of high-quality entertainment.

That thought might soon change though, thanks to the second installment of the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission fundraiser, hosted by Karl Fix and his wife Sandra Beug in their Regina home.

The fundraiser is a $75 per ticket evening with 100 per cent of the proceeds going towards the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. According to Fix, the night has been sold out for months already thanks in part to the success of the 2007 event, which helped raise $15,000.

"We call it a chili night and we feel it's more appropriate because a lot of times people go out and there's fine dining and all that, but for the people at Souls Harbour, chili is a good meal," said Fix, the marketing force behind the event. "As much as the night is a fundraiser where people can have fun, we also want it to raise awareness for the organization."

Besides the dinner, guests at the fundraiser are being treated to an evening of musical entertainment which is scheduled to begin around 5:30 and finish up at midnight. The musical guests are from a wide variety of genres that include Regina Juno Award winner Jack Semple, acclaimed vocalist Rory Allen, country star Sheila Deck and Regina Symphony Orchestra concert master Eduard Minevich.

Fix and Beug have received a permit from the City of Regina to construct a stage in the park behind their house, allowing guests to enjoy the entertainment while in the spacious backyard or from the balconies of the residence.

Fix said that more than 250 tickets have been sold to Friday evening's fundraiser and he has already had to turn down approximately 80 requests for additional tickets. The total amount of people at the event will be around 350 because musicians' families as well as the families of those preparing the meal will get in for free.

"Next year we're looking to scale back the number of tickets and raise the price to about $150," said Fix. "As much as it's a great thing to have this many people out, we're kind of worried that it might have an effect on our house."

Besides the money raised for the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, a truck will be parked outside for guests to drop off donations of foods or practical goods. Since Souls Harbour and the Regina Rescue Mission combined their services, a need for many household items has arisen.

"We compiled a list of items needed and Karl sent it out along with the tickets," said Michelle Porter, the executive director of the Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. "Some people are surprised to learn that we're now more than a soup kitchen and that awareness is another reason why the event is so important."

The volunteers preparing and serving the chili for Friday evening are from Beug's workplace, Eastend Dental. She and her employees are taking the day off to prepare so that the evening goes ahead without a hitch.

"This whole fundraiser was my wife's idea from the start and I'm just doing the best I can to help her out," said Fix. "She wants to help people and this fundraiser is a good way to do that."