It seems it’s “MrYYC promotes charity auctions week” here. I’ve got another one for you. Next Thursday night (November 1, 2012), there will be an art auction at ING DIRECT Calgary Café in downtown Calgary.
Ten young artists from Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary will be providing the artwork, and yours truly will be there to auction it live. I’ve been practicing my “talking fast skills” all week, and hope by next week to be able to sound approximately like a person who has had seven Red Bulls. Given that I’m a lazy man, and am not finding myself especially adept at auctioneering, I may just have seven Red Bulls. Don’t stand too close.
The art to be auctioned will be inspired by the Canadian penny. As you may have heard, our Canadian penny will be going the way of other extinct currency such as the Roman denarius, the English farthing, and the Dutch tulip. This is our opportunity to bid it adieu. Do not think, though, that this coin will “go gentle into that good night”. I’ve always thought of the penny as the roughest around the edges of all the Canadian coins. (Though, as we’re both aware, the dime and quarter are actually the roughest around the edges.)
If it was the dime being abolished, I expect it would depart with dignity and grace. What with its slender shape, its reeded edge, and the comely yet sturdy Bluenose schooner on its reverse, it strikes me as a much more elegant coin. But the penny? No. The penny is the coin that, if it was going to be tossed out of a bar (and you know there’s always that chance with the penny), it’s taking no less than three doormen to get him out.
During the evening, there will be tasty hors d’ouevres from Chef Nathan Higgins. There will also be free draws for attendees (congratulations! you win fifty pounds of pennies!) and a chance for you to use your own pennies to vote for your favorite art piece. All proceeds from the art auction and from the penny voting will direclty benefit Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary.
There is no cost to attend, but you should register in advance. Doors open at 5:30 pm with the auction beginning at 6:30. If you’re heading out to other First Thursday events, we expect to be done the auction by 7:15, so you should still have plenty of time to fit it all in. I look forward to seeing you there!
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[...] to check it out for yourself, come on down to the Café tomorrow night (Thur, Nov 1) to check out An Ode to the Penny. You’ll have a fully legit reason to come and case the joint, and you can bring down all of your [...]