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Thank you for a Great Giller Light.

Tuesday, Nov 16, 2010 at 3:58pm

The McNally Robinson Booksellers 2010 Giller Light Bash which was held at Prairie Ink Restaurant & Bakery on Tuesday, November 9th was another smashing success. This was the sixth year in a row that McNally Robinson hosted a Giller Light event in Winnipeg in honour of Frontier College.

The college is a national organization that believes literacy is an essential skill in today's society and a fundamental right for all Canadians. Through a network of thousands of volunteers, Frontier College is helping people to realize their potential and seize the opportunities that come their way. A sold-out event every year, over $15,000 has been donated to Frontier College over the years from the Winnipeg Giller Light Bash.

Winnipeg's Light Bash patrons look forward to gathering and listening to local celebrities advocate for their favourite Giller-nominated book, all while munching on a specially-selected array of gourmet hors d'oeuvres and dishes. The promise of great food from Chef Gord Harris in an intimate setting organized by Restaurant Manager Stacy McLoughlin-Pendree is just one of the reasons local literary lovers clamour every year to attend this popular event. This year's gastronomic delights were capped off with a special dessert from new Prairie Ink Pastry Chef, Eric Bari, as McNally Robinson paid special tribute to local literary fan Cam Mackie.

Sparklers lit up an intricately decorated Eric Bari cake made in honour of Mr. Mackie's retirement from the Board of the Frontier College Foundation after over 50 years of volunteer service to the organization. In January of 1956, Cam Mackie answered an ad in The Manitoban university newspaper that said, "Hard Work and Low Pay". Cam was hired for this Frontier College opportunity and worked for two summers on rail gangs in BC and Ontario working 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week, and in the evenings teaching basic English and literacy skills to his co-workers. Cam credits the experience, the values of the College, and the gratitude expressed by his rail gang co-workers as giving direction to his life. Over 50 years later, his time at Frontier College has included serving on the Foundation Board as chair, treasurer, and fundraiser supreme. Winnipeg's Giller Light Bash was initiated by Cam Mackie in 2005 and he continues to chair, host and be very involved in the local event's success.

Presenting their literary reviews of the Giller short-listed books with a blend of humour, candour and sincerity, this year's presentation luminaries included Heidi Harms (advocate for This Cake is for the Party), Karen Busby (advocate for Annabel), John Toews (advocate for Light Lifting), Ariel Gordon (advocate for The Sentimentalists), and Leona Hladiuk (advocate for The Matter with Morris).

Winnipeg Giller Light participants voted for their favourite book out of the Giller line-up. This year's winner at the Winnipeg event was local author David Bergen for The Matter with Morris.

The winner of the $50,000 Giller Award at the national event hosted by Jack Rabinovitch was author Johanna Skibsrud for her book The Sentimentalists. Here in Winnipeg, participants purchased tickets to vote for their favourite book and entered a draw with the winner receiving a signed copy of each of the Giller nominated short-list books.

Remember to mark your calendar each year for the first of October when tickets generally go on sale for this very popular event.

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