A group of seniors wants to see evening entertainment returned to Harmony Hall, a facility in Gibsons run by the Gibsons Seniors Society. But their efforts to offer music and dancing in the evenings have run afoul of the society's executive.
"It started over a year ago, when a group of new, younger members wanted to hold a St. Patrick's Day dance," said Graham Wray, a 20-year member of the seniors' organization who has also served on its executive.
The plan was nixed by the executive in favour of an afternoon tea. Wray, 83, is now a spokesperson for the newly formed SunCoast Harmony Entertainment Society - a group that would like to plan other events for the hall including a dance to tie in with the Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival in June.
The current president of the Harmony Hall executive, Lorraine Goddard, said that although the idea of a Jazz Festival event has appeal, the membership (which currently numbers 325) has not shown support for the other programs offered by Wray's group.
"They [the members] don't want to give the group carte blanche to schedule evening entertainment," Goddard said. "The membership has the feeling they would be losing control."
She added that if something goes wrong, the executive (six officers and six directors) would be liable.
Previously the Harmony entertainment group was given two reasons from past president Mary Cook for squelching evening fun: seniors no longer want to drive at night and they don't want to dance any more, having lost their partners. Wray dismisses these reasons.
"The organization has the mandate of serving seniors of the community of age 40 and over," he said. "The senior population has increased on the Coast, and we have new, younger members."
Goddard disagrees.
"Certainly membership is open to anyone over 40, but they don't depend on us for entertainment," she said. "We want to offer activities appropriate to the majority of our members who are over 65."
At a regular monthly meeting of the Seniors Society on April 5, members were asked by the executive whether they wanted to hear a prepared report from Graham Walker, a local musician and part of the Harmony entertainment group. They voted not to hear the report and Goddard read out the correspondence that had taken place previously on this topic. Some seniors booed Wray, while a new member, Ray Eagle, disparaged the executive for their stance and walked out of the meeting. Goddard later pointed out that this had been the fourth meeting at which the topic had been discussed, saying members "had reached a point of frustration."
Walker, a new member, told Coast Reporter that while at a dance held there a few years ago he and his friends could see the venue's potential for affordable quality entertainment for the community's 40-plus population.
"Every organization needs to renew itself," Walker said.
Wray has since asked for a special general meeting of the membership to present their case to the members, and the request has been granted for Monday, April 26. It will be open to members only.
