Gardening is once again on the minds of many, and once again the Bentley Library Society and the Bentley Library board is hosting its annual fundraising “Gardener’s Gala.”
This year it will take place at the historic Bentley Community Hall on June 2 with free admission from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. and try to capitalize on visitors to the famed Bentley Farmers’ Market.
There will be guest presenters, light lunch, and a wide variety of donated silent auction items to bid on.
One particularly special item is being offered this year. It is not the kind of item that one person would buy. It is for a group of people to get together and buy.
Are you and some friends interested in learning how to play Bridge or would some of you like to learn to play better?
As his donation to the library society auction, Rick Cookson-Hills is offering his expertise to a table of four, or a larger group of up to about 12, instructions on how to play Bridge.
Cookson-Hills, who has been competing for around 50 years, has been teaching how to play Bridge at a variety of places around the world for about 40 years, and has also acted as a tournament director numerous times, will explain the ethics of Bridge playing and how to act at the table to a group who would like to better understand and make better sense of the game.
He will give up to 18 hours of guided instruction at the venue of your choosing. It could be at your home or somewhere else. He will gear his guidance to the level of the players attending from beginner to intermediate to advanced abilities. He says it is always more fun to play with people of a similar ability, but to get better one must challenge oneself by playing against more proficient players.
He has written a book called “I Love Deuces” but it is currently out of print, he says. Cookson-Hills, and his wife and playing partner, Heather, enjoy playing competitively.
Ideally the course he is offering up for bids could be done over a weekend as a social gathering but he will consider a longer time frame if needed.
The group purchasing his class could split the cost between them. Note: there may be a reserve bid on this item. A group session like this can be valued at $1,000 or more.
If there is enough interest Cookson-Hills would consider offering more than one group of lessons, with the profit going directly to the library.
The ultimate he says would be to get a bridge club organized in Bentley, Lacombe, Rimbey, Gull Lake or wherever people would like to meet regularly and learn to play in a practical setting.
Many other donors have generously contributed to the fundraiser as well and organizers hope having free admission will draw lots of interest in their event.
For more information on the Bentley Library Society or the Bentley Library board Gardener’s Gala fundraiser call Val at 403-748-4021 or Arlene at 403-748-4429.
By June Norvila