Clayton Bellamy Foundation announces gala and golf tournament to fund theatre

The Clayton Bellamy Foundation for the Arts has announced the first annual Celebrity Gala & Gold Fundraiser.

The event will auction celebrities off to the highest bidder for a round of golf at the Bonnyville Golf & Country Club the following day. The golf tournament is open to everyone with Alberta’s first Million Dollar hole in one. 

The night will host a dinner with music and a vintage Hollywood style with guests including The Road Hammers, Tim Hicks, Mike Plume, and Dan Davidson. Gala tables and golf teams are on sale right now.

All the funds raised from the Gala & Gold will go towards retrofitting the new Performing Arts Theatre, newly branded as the Strathcona Performing Arts Centre located in the former BCHS gymnasium in Bonnyville. Clayton Bellamy says he grew up as an art kid and wants to give other kids the chance to embrace the arts as he did.

“There is a whole generation of kids who do not have a safe place to create and perform. We can’t have the next Bret Kissle or Clayton Bellamy or the next Mike Plume without having a space.”

The multi-purpose performing arts theatre is on track to commence in mid-June of this year with a budget of $1.7 Million Dollars. Currently, only 65% of the funding has been raised. Bellamy says a good venue makes all the difference when it comes to the arts. 

“It makes all the difference for the listener and for the performer. If it has a terrible sound room you can’t hear what you are playing or what you are singing or any of the nuances and that is the same for the listener. It all becomes a loud white noise.” 

The Strathcona Performing Arts Centre will offer the following:

• Music camps
• Lessons
• Live Theatre Productions
• Live Concerts
• Cultural Performances
• Dance Competitions
• Hosting location for Conference and Meeting Events
• Training Facility for Specialized Programs
• Gathering point for Community Groups

This is the first time the Celebrity Gala & Gold Fundraiser will be hosted and Clayton Bellamy is ready to make it an annual event.

“We want to keep the theatre a viable part of the community and we are going to be doing this every year and it will be a lot of fun.”

The event will be hosted at the Centennial Centre on September 1st, 2023. The construction of the theatre is planned for completion around November in 2023.