After a four-year wait, Airdronians will finally get to shimmy to Irish rock once again this St. Patrick's Day.
Following cancellations in 2020, 2021, and 2022, the Airdrie Food Bank is set to host its first Shamrock Shimmy fundraiser on March 11 at the Airdrie Town and Country Centre.
The St. Patrick's Day-themed party is not just a good time, according to Airdrie Food Bank's events, marketing and communications manager Christine Taylor, but also the local food bank's signature fundraiser of the year, typically bringing in north of $20,000 a year.
“We’re very excited,” Taylor said. “It’s been three years since we’ve been able to hold it, so we’re really looking forward to bringing our community together to raise funds for the food bank. This is our largest fundraiser of the year. It’s really important and we’ve been missing having it.”
Held every March, the Shamrock Shimmy was the very first large-scale community event in Airdrie that had to be called off in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. News of society-wide restrictions on public gatherings came literally the day before the 2020 iteration of the event, resulting in a last-second cancellation of the fundraiser.
Continued conditions brought on by the pandemic led to the cancellation of the Shamrock Shimmy in 2021 and 2022 as well, meaning it's been four years since the popular fundraiser was last held in Airdrie.
Taylor said residents who have waited four years for the spirit of St. Patrick to return to the Airdrie Town and Country Centre can expect a great Irish-themed party, and attendees are encouraged to dress in green.
“It’s always fun to dress up and wear green clothing with the silly hats and whatnot,” she said. “We usually have some St. Patrick’s Day-themed shooters and things like that, which is a lot of fun. It’s always a great time for people to get together to raise money and have fun at the same time.”
Saturday's festivities will include a dinner provided by Harmony Catering, music from DJ Dan of Big Deez DJ, as well as live and silent auctions and a 50-50 raffle. Taylor said the food bank is also still selling tickets for its West Jet raffle, with the winner receiving two tickets to anywhere West Jet flies.
“They are available through our website and they’re $10,” said Taylor, of the West Jet raffle. “We’re only selling 1,000 tickets, so your chances are fairly decent.”
The Shamrock Shimmy is one of two main fundraisers the Airdrie Food Bank puts on every year. The other one is the Empty Bowls Art Festival, which is held during the fall. That fundraiser has also been hampered in recent years by pandemic-related forces.
The cancellation of both their signature fundraisers in recent years has been tough on the food bank, according to Taylor – especially considering demand for food bank services reached historic highs during the pandemic.
And even though pandemic-related restrictions are in the rear-view mirror these days, Taylor noted inflation has continued to impact Airdrie families, causing a continued spike in demand for food bank services and an increase in clientele.
“The need is well above what it normally is this time of year,” she confirmed. “The need is bigger than it was during COVID, for sure.”
Taylor said proceeds from the Shamrock Shimmy will support all of Airdrie Food Bank's programming, including the Fuel For Kids school breakfast, lunch and snack program, the Basics for Babies program (which provides formula, diapers, and other baby-related needs to new parents), and the food bank's hamper program.
Tickets are available for the Shamrock Shimmy at airdriefoodbank.com/shamrockshimmy for $65 each.
