Rotary LaSalle gives a little bit of art and soul
By Lindsey Rivait
Arts Editor
September 17, 2008
 Craft vendors, live entertainment, and a wine tent will be set out in Gil Maure Park in LaSalle as part of the Rotary Club of LaSalle-Centennial’s Art & Soul event from Sept. 20-21.
The event, in its second year, celebrates art and culture with even bigger and better entertainment and vendors than last year.
According to Manasi LaRiviere, Public Relations Chair of the Rotary Club of LaSalle-Centennial, Art & Soul “has more of a boutique feel to it.” The event features 30 high-quality vendors.
“We wanted more arts and crafts that were feasible to purchase,” LaRiviere explained. Vendors will be selling handmade jewellery, contemporary art, glasswork, and much more.
LaRiviere is certain that the turnout will be higher this year for the event. “I think there will be more this year simply because we have a few new things happening,” she explained.
In addition to arts and crafts vendors, Art & Soul will be hosting the region’s largest high school Student Art Competition, with 21 of the area high schools competing for Best in Show.
“There’s an emphasis on education and community awareness of the importance of art and culture,” said LaRiviere. The Student Art Competition results will be presented on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 12:30 p.m.
The Family Fun Zone, sponsored by Active Body Physical Therapy, features entertainment for the kids, including bouncy castles, a Guitar Hero competition, pony rides, obstacle races, face painting, craft making, the LaSalle Fire Department, and the Windsor Star “Raise-A-Reader” tent.
New at Art & Soul this year is the Art of the Vintner tent, with wine-tasting for adults. Visitors to the tent will be able to see what makes this region’s wines so special. The Art of the Vintner tent will give people the option of buying a glass of wine or the bottle.
Art & Soul will also have dancers, martial arts demonstrations, live music, and Elvis impersonators.
All proceeds from the festival go back to the Rotary Club. “The great thing about Rotary is that 100 per cent of profits go back into community events,” said LaRiviere. “Whatever it is we’re fundraising for, it goes toward community projects.”
Some of those community projects include baskets for families at Christmas, and a major clean water project.
The Rotary Club of LaSalle-Centennial is committed to the community. The organization provides humanitarian services, encourages high ethical standards, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Their goals are to provide services to their community to address today’s most critical issues.
Their international project, The Challenge of Clean Water, focuses on initiating a clean water purification and provision project at a school and hospital near Jagadhri, India. In January, the Crystal Drop Gala will be hosted to raise money for the cause. LaRiviere says the gala will feature a clean water theme, Indian cuisine, and dancing.
The Art & Soul event takes place Saturday, Sept. 20 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gil Maure Park, Front Road and Laurier Drive, LaSalle. Admission is $5 and children 12 and under get in for free when accompanied by an adult.
For more information, visit the Rotary Club of LaSalle-Centennial online at http://www.rotarylasalle.org.
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