Halloween in January? Yes! Themed Ladies Night a huge success for the Whitecourt Wolverines

Back on October 15, 2019, the Whitecourt Wolverines officially launched the ticket sale for their 3rd Annual Ladies Night. Within the post, would-be attendees were told the event would be a theme night and that depending on how quick they were at locking in a table, they would get the pick of the crop on which theme they wanted to do. It also gave them ample opportunity to gather Halloween costumes and put together something fun. The themed reveal was a huge hit and organizers Tracy Stark and Nathalie Beaudoin were blown away by it. “We sold out in less than 24 hours. That’s the fastest we’ve ever sold out and we have sold out each year. Last year we sold out in five days, so this is even better,” said Stark.

With a couple of months to craft their costumes, the ladies descended on St. Joseph’s Hall on Friday, January 10 to showcase their creations and have a fun night together. In total, 280 area women purchased tickets for the event. Inside the hall was a smorgasbord of themed tables from prom dates, fairy tales, the Kentucky derby, ancient Greece, cops and robbers, pirates, black and white, slumber party, superhero, Hollywood, rainbow, heavenly angels, and even the pink ladies from the movie Grease.

“I like themes and I like to change it every year. I know that women like to dress up and get crazy. My husband bet me a thousand dollars that we wouldn’t sell out this event,” she said with a laugh, adding, “I won that bet.” With 35 tables, and 35 themes to go along with them, the room was a mixture of everything and anything. The yearly event is the biggest fundraiser for the Whitecourt Wolverines and supports a local charity thanks to the musical entertainment, the Dueling Pianos. “We get to pick a charity of our choice and we picked the R & R Memorial Foundation as it is very close to our hearts,” she said.

There is a 50/50 taking place throughout the night, a raffle table filled with amazing donations from local businesses, and the Dueling Pianos invite guests to purchase songs with a percentage of the money raised going to the chosen charity. “We auction off the Wolverines players like we do every year. They serve us and do the running around for us. It’s nice to involve them and I know how nervous they are when they do this,” she laughed. “It’s hilarious. They have so much fun and they are happy to do this. They help with set up and take down. They are part of the whole event from start to finish.”

With the popularity of the event growing so quickly, Stark said there is a potential for doing it twice a year. “We will see. If it’s something that we can do twice a year then I would do that.” She said that one of the most important things for her, aside from raising money for worthy causes, is that she gets to witness so many local women having fun and enjoying themselves. “Looking at the crowd tonight, everyone is dressed up as fancy as they could get. I know that they have all been in a group chat of some sort or that they have done some kind of get together in advance to get ready for this event. I know they are all excited to be here. This is the best one yet!”

Stark said she is grateful for the community support and thanks the women for coming out and joining her and the Wolverines for such a unique evening. “For me, ladies are my team. I’ve been surrounded by them with what I’ve gone through in my life. Everybody needs a team of ladies around them and even with this event, it’s my team of ladies. I might say hi to you on the street or I might not even know you but you’re my team,” she said with a smile.