The Steinbach Arts Council is calling last week's gala a verifiable success.

Director of Development for the Arts Council, Cindi Rempel Patrick says it took a lot of work to create a virtual event celebrating the Art Council's 40th anniversary. The 21st annual gala melded traditional components with modern ideas and made it all accessible digitally.

'It was very scary at first but the expectations were exceeded by far,' she remarks.

250 guests from all across the southeast dined on the gala feast in their own homes. A team of volunteers delivered the hot-cooked meals, wine, and cocktails to each guest's home, and Rempel Patrick was pleased to note that not one meal was missed or late in arriving.

Like the rest of the event, the entertainment was also done remotely and Rempel Patrick says they were pleased with how it turned out. The board wanted the evening to showcase top local performers in a variety of disciplines and was finally able to make use of all the work they had put into The Music Man, a theatrical production that was cancelled last minute as a result of the pandemic.

 'We had spent months last year rehearsing for the Music Man and we had all these talented artists who were going to perform and then it all got cancelled,' she describes. 'So here we got to use their selections and they performed.'

With the fundraising gala being virtual, the Arts Council set their goal at $20,000; 30 percent lower than they would have if the event would have been held in-person.

As bills still needing to be paid from the event, Rempel Patrick could not provide an exact dollar amount but says they certainly exceeded their projection and estimates the fundraiser pulled in around $26,000.

'We just couldn't be happier,' she says.

Rempel Patrick credits the financial success of the event to a few specific factors. She notes certain individuals felt led to give more than they would have normally, in light of the difficult circumstances, but adds that their revised art auction also had a major role to play. 

'We've always had an auction at our events, an art auction that is always fantastic and features our visual artists, and then we've had a small silent auction,' she explains. 'This year we took it to a new level. We had over 40 items on an online platform and that's where we were able to see more success and raise more money.' 

This past year has been challenging for the Arts Council who has been forced into cancelling concerts, closing programs, finding ways to virtually connect and keep the community engaged, but Rempel Patrick says none of those products of COVID-19 negate the need for fundraisers like this. As she reflects on the event, Rempel Patrick is appreciative.

'We want to thank everyone for supporting the gala. There was a big risk putting it out virtually, we're always dependent on technology and thankfully that worked perfectly for us,' she comments. 'We want to thank all the guests who made it happened. Our community is awesome and we definitely painted the town as we said we would.'