Our Full Rundown Of Purses, Pies, And Pinot @ Home!!

Virtual Rotaryfest wasn't alone last week in the realm of at-home concert/charity events on YouTube, as the Zonta Club of Sault Ste. Marie & Area's annual Purses, Pies, and Pinot gala for Ovarian Cancer Canada took place on Thursday, with a surprising hard rock tie! In case you don't know, the Zonta Club are a service organization who promote and advance women's statuses, and every September, they focus their efforts towards Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, which is why you saw signs and teal ribbons down Queen Street East. Normally, Zonta hosts a fundraiser gala at the Grand Gardens North where you can take part in a silent auction for purses and pies while enjoying wine, appetizers, and live music, while also learning about ovarian cancer and the Zonta Club's mission. I won't get too personal here, but ovarian cancer has deep personal resonance, so I was absolutely following what Zonta would do this month in spite of the pandemic.

As posted on the Zonta Club's YouTube channel, this almost hour-long video serves as the 2020 entertainment portion of Purses, Pies, and Pinot, with the auction being conducted online last week, so expect plugs for the auction in between the music. The gala video proper begins with a cover of Journey's "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" by a band credited as Danger Cat Covers, who are of no known relation to the defunct (and all-female) Danger Cats. I am not certain of this band's identities or background, but they have a faithful handle on this song, and the singer has pipes! Afterwards, you'll see speeches and testimonials, including messages from representatives of Zonta's 15th District (covering the Soo area and most of Michigan), host segments from long-time local news anchor Lou-Anne Young, and a comedy segment featuring Tim Murphy in character as Gina Lollointernationalbridgida leading a pie-making contest of sorts.

The next musical act is local acoustic hard rock band The Wyld Stallyns, (sans guitarist Jesse Cook), and their presence was a complete surprise to me, as they did not plug their involvement online in advance! Their at-home song is a cover of Pharrell Williams' "Happy" with Christina on lead vocals, and while not a heavy number, it's fun and upbeat, which is definitely needed nowadays. Afterwards, we get another stretch of speeches and testimonials, including a special announcement from Ovarian Cancer Canada Vice President Cailey Crawford and more pie making with Gina and friends. The next band on offer is Crackerjack Palace, a classic rock band from the Stratford area featuring Sault native Mark Diotallevi on keyboards (watch for his Dos Equis parody at the beginning.) Their remotely filmed performance sees them cover Jethro Tull's "Living In The Past", which is loose & well performed!

Following more speeches and remarks (including Mayor Christian Provenzano and more pie making action), we get a performance of "Wishing Song" by Paul Reddick, a Juno Award winning blues musician from Toronto. Even in a virtual sense, that's a big get, and the song's nice & smooth! Sault native and former Bachman-Turner Overdrive bassist Mick Dalla-Vee performs his own brand new original song "One Kind Word" next, helpfully subtitled so you can sing along, and it hits the right emotional notes! After another check-in with the pie contest, we get a cover of The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun" by Cantation, a local women's choir filmed remotely. The ladies have nice voices, but this cover may take adjusting if you don't listen to choirs often. Some more speeches and "judging" of the pie contest (by the Algoma Repetory Theater's Marc Beaudette) follow, before the musical portion concludes with Virtual Rotaryfest performers Jay Case & Frank Deresti.

Filmed in the same outdoor location as on Saturday, the guys played "Hitchhike To Mexico" from their 2018 joint album "Working Titles", before closing remarks and an "auction" for the pies from the contest. I wasn't expecting to have so much to write about for Purses, Pies, and Pinot @ Home, but the Zonta Club and musicians put on an entertaining and informative hour, and with ovarian cancer awareness being supremely important, I hope people tune in/show their support. The music on offer was solid, if surprisingly more rock-based than I expected, so tune in below, and stay tuned for more news and notes on the site soon! Thanks everyone!