Crowd enjoys an Evening of Camaradarie in Maynooth

March 10, 2015

By Sara Valsoney

Maynooth’s Public School gymnasium was filled without a chair to spare on the evening of Saturday, March 7 for the second annual Evening of Camaradarie. The silent auction and fundraiser incorporated the musical talent of seven-piece band Camaraderie. Guests enjoyed biscuits and coffee while the music ebbed and flowed through the evening filled with chatter and excitement.

The fundraiser and silent auction is a means of raising money for school trips for the kids as well as it works to open and celebrate the talent in the community Lisa Resmer, principal of Maynooth Public School said.

The annual evening event is quickly becoming a popular tradition in the community attracting both well-known local artists and newer emerging artists around the area, Resmer says.

With the live music aspect everything comes to life, and funnily enough Resmer shared that her aunt is a member of the band. The band consists of the seven charismatic ladies Pat Green, Claudine Crete, Charlotte Bigelow, Erin Morlock, Marg Dearborn, Donna Peters, and Marva Murphy. All comrades and all smiles on and offstage as they bring the room alive with songs like I’ve Joined a Band of Crazy Women, Bring It On, and Just Do It. The stage is set up marvellously displaying all seven of the ladies multiply mastered instruments such as, the acoustic guitar, bass guitar, fiddles, the keyboard, flute, accordion, drums, rhythm instruments, mandolins and harmonicas. Each member plays more than one instrument alternating throughout the evening as they play together in a harmonious union. Staff and volunteers set up the gym beautifully for the event, and as the evening went on it was evident that “despite their ‘mature’ ages, part of the fun came from their resolve to ‘push their envelopes’ by learning to play new instruments, harmonize, sing lead and write songs,” as Claudine Crete said. Stopping only briefly to introduce songs like I’ve Joined a Band of Crazy Women, and how they tend to get a little rowdy when together. A song specifically about loving Tim Horton’s was ironically named Tim Horton’s. The name Camaraderie came about after the ladies had “thought about the friendship, sisterhood and fellowship they shared,” and shortly after they’d found that “the name for the group had become apparent,” Camaraderie – standing for a ‘mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together;’ that was them, just as the community had been coming together to help create what is slowly becoming the big annual event to look forward to.

Resmer says, “the fact that our school has this support from the whole community speaks volumes to our students and helps in creating a safety net around them.”

The ladies of Camaraderie wanted to challenge themselves by “playing for other people – anyone who would listen,” they said and the sure enough have found an immense bounty of people who are willing to listen and join in on their camaraderie! As “it takes villages to raise our children,” Resmer says, “the triad of community, school and parents is necessary for our students to reach their highest potential,” she says and being “so lucky that the members of the community are incredibly generous and creative,” this greatly helps and shows through annual events incorporating a large mass of artisans in and around the town. To find more information about the band contact Claudine Crete at: 613 – 332 – 0104 or e-mail: dmpeters4@hotmail.ca.