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Kevin Wilson
Northern News Services
Sure, good gin, a kiss of vermouth, combined with olives or lemon peel is a cocktail lover's delight. There's just the small matter of the $20 sticker shock.
 Former BHP employee Patti Hogg shows off the diamond she won at Saturday night's Wings of Hope gala. Hogg got her chance for the big rock by drinking a $20 martini. - Kevin Wilson/NNSL photo |
Jane Weishaupt, Teri Arychuk and associates managed to move 350 of the costly cocktails Saturday night at the fourth annual Wings of Hope gala.
Yellowknife's movers and shakers tripped the light fantastic in an aviation hangar transformed for one night into a multipurpose ballroom and playground.
"We've got the martinis over there, the putting green over there, and a cigar bar over there," said Weishaupt, as she pointed out a variety of methods for relieving guests from their money.
Not that anyone was complaining.
The gala raises funds for the NWT-Alberta chapter of the Children's Wish Foundation.
The foundation grants wishes to children suffering from life-threatening illnesses, whether it's a new computer or a trip to Disney World.
"We've never said no to a wish," said Arychuk, the Foundation's NWT-Alberta sub-chapter co-chair.
Last year's gala raised more than $30,000 for the foundation.
"The way things are going, we're going to surpass that," said Arychuk.
That's where the $20 martinis come in.
In addition to gin and vermouth, each martini also had a number on it. Once all 350 were sold, organizers raffled off a diamond generously donated by BHP Billiton.
When the emcee called her number, Patti Hogg moved faster than Olympic speed skater Catriona Le May Doan to claim her prize.
The former BHP employee never got a diamond during her time with the mining giant.
"Now I've got my diamond," she laughed.
"Neato, neato, neato," she added, before heading back to her table.
Gala organizers hope to have a final tally of the night's take later this week.
