Dust off your dancing shoes for the annual Hillary House Ball

November 5, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Just about everyone can tap their toes along with the beat, but depending on who you’re dealing with it can take almost a herculean effort to get others up and onto the dance floor.

If organizers for this month’s Hillary House Ball, however, have their way you really don’t stand a chance.

Those planning the annual ball, which benefits Hillary House and the Aurora Historical Society, are pulling out all the stops to make sure everyone has a good time, adding a fresh element to what has turned out to be a winning formula for the past four years.

“The feedback last year was the event was great, we had a great agenda, and not to spoil it from changing too much,” says event chair John Green. “This year though we are bringing in a professional dance couple who will not only give people demonstrations on ballroom dance, but also lead and get people up on the dance floor! A lot of people have been reluctant!”

Mr. Green, however, was never a wallflower. As a teen, he says he was a pupil at the colourfully named “Vicky Burke’s School of Dancing for Young Gentleman” and although that didn’t put him on the path to set the ballroom floor on fire with his moves, it did instill in him a love of dance.

But, although the Hillary House Ball is, well, a ball, it is less about the dancing and more about having a good time for a great cause. Taking place for the second year running at King Valley Golf Club, the gala will also feature fine dining with several selections created by chefs at the club, live music from the After Hours Big Band, a silent auction, and a live pianist to accompany dinner, all hosted by returning emcee Tim Jones.
Organizers bill it as an “unrivalled experience enabling them to contribute to their community’s heritage in a meaningful way.”

As members, curators and volunteers at the Aurora Historical Society are dusting off their dancing shoes, they are also dusting off artefacts from the Hillary Collection with which guests can have a hands-on experience before digging into their dinner.

“There will be some artefacts from surgeries that will make people wince,” says Mr. Green. “There will be some blood-letting equipment, and implements they used in the First World War for removing limbs. My favourite is a device that was used for performing a tonsillectomy that is rather macabre, but that is the way it was. Guess as people look at these devices, it wasn’t that long ago that this was in popular use. We have come a long way since then to make it somewhat painless.”

Yes, gloves will be available.

“Come to join your fellow Aurorans and people beyond the community and enjoy an evening of festivities, networking, getting together with other people, fine dining, good music, with a big live band, a silent auction which has a variety of objects and when you go feel that you have had a good, comfortable get-together with fellow citizens,” he concludes.

Tickets for the Third Annual Hillary House Ball are $150 and still available by contacting the Aurora Historical Society at 905-727-8991. For more information, visit hillaryhouseball.ca.