WOW!!! So many folks helped to support our Harvest Banquet I don't even know where to begin with my sincere thanks.

We served 184 this year at the Florence Filberg Centre. Dawn of Custom Gourmet Catering did a fantastic job creating a fabulous menu featuring fine local foods, including Tinkerbell II Prawns, and Mac's Oyster cakes - yum!!! Natural pastures cheeses and Island Bison pepperoni, all delicious appys with local wines and beers.

Also local beef from Guenters, Salmon from Marine Harvest, fresh vegetable Ratatouie (oh well - can't spell) with squash from Patersons, eggplants (from MARS no less) Final Cut onions, Leeks and chard. Finlay Creek garlic, Tomatoes from Gemini Farms and Freedom farms and Hazelmere contributed too. Ironwood gave us greens, with Berry Best and Eatmore sprouts thrown in.

Desserts included Pies from Greenwoods and Deroda Farm crumble, cheesecakes from Michaels off Main and mini's from Poppers, mousse cake from Little Orca and Heavenly Goodies lemon loaves. Breads from Grains, Twigs, Coleman Road Store, and Becky's Bakery.

Todd Butler emceed and performed special tunes for the MARS-ians, after a thoughtful intro of "A Second Chance" video by Simone Metelli - our 2008 intern from Italy.

David Stevens added his own brand of humour to the live auction and brought a good price for the incredible Killer whale carving by Clarence Nelson of Quatsino.

Three awards were made to recognize long time contributors to this fundraising event to help wildlife - Seifferts Farm, Marine Harvest and the Comox Valley Farmers' Market Association.

Flowers by the Horticultural club graced the halls - and thanks to all who came, who gave of their time and energy to help wildlife recover.

Harvest update - Todd Butler and great food

Scarlett the Red-tail Hawk will welcome guests to our upcoming Harvest Banquet on Saturday September 26th at the Florence Filberg Centre in Courtenay. Fresh local foods will picked up all this week and delivered to Dawn of Custom Gourmet for preparation of the "great taste of the Comox Valley" Tickets are selling now for this great feast that includes a wonderful array of auction items, Live and Silent , as well as draws and door prizes.

Todd Butler will emcee and entertain guests and there will be a special video presentation by our intern from Italy last year, Simone Mettelli. David Stevens will be handling the gavel as incredible items come up for bid, including the ever popular landscaping packages.

The timing of events follows:

5:00 pm Doors open
Auction item viewing, appetisers and refreshments

6:30 pm Seating and Welcome remarks
"A Second Chance" video

7:00 pm
Buffet Dinner with local Farm Fresh foods from the Valley by Custom Gourmet

8:00 pm
Entertainment by Todd Butler

8:30 pm
Live Auction with David Stevens

9:30 pm
Relax and enjoy you friends company with music by Todd
Close of Auction

Wines by beaufort wines, Blue Moon Winery, Soutend Vineyards, & Saturna Wines and beers by Surgenor Brewery.

Our thanks go out to so many who donated to this event - our bigest fundraising effort of the year. We hope to raise enough that we won't miss our gaming funds loss.

Harvest Banquet & Live Auction- get your tickets now

The GREAT Taste of the Comox Valley - will be featured this week at the 16th Annual Harvest Banquet and Auction. This annual event benefits MARS (Mountaianire Avian Rescue Society) a local wildlife Resscue organization. This year the "best meal in the valley"will be held at the Florence Filberg Centre at 411 Anderton Ave in Courtenay by the Sid Williams Theatre on Saturday September 26th.

Foods are donated by the farmers of the Comox Valley Farmers' Market Association and the CV Farmers' Institute as well as other fine food producers in the area. Fresh Seafoods such as Tinkerbell II prawns, Mac's Oysters, and Hooked On Seafood Candied Salmon are complimented by Natural pastures Cheeses, colourful vegetables from Fiesta Greenhouses, Pattison Farms, meats from Gunter Bros. and Island Bison, Breads from Becky's Bakery and Grains and delectable desserts from Heavenly Goodies, Michaels off Main, and Greenwoods Pies all can be found on the buffet tables with Custom Gourmet Catering this year's taste extravaganza.

Todd Butler will emcee this year and entertain the 200 guests with tales of the valley, the citizens and their politics. A special video, directed by MARS 2007 intern, Simone Metelli who returned from Italy to present the copy to MARS about the realitiies of work and life at a wildlife centr. This will be viewed by most for the first time and will be sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Auctioneer David Stevens will take to the block many fine arts donated by local artists who believe in the work accomplished by the wildlife centre. Malcom Jolly's Black Walnut bowl carved as a seal with abalone eyes, Nancy Street's soapstone owl and husband Bryan's alabaster bowl with turned maple lid are sure to be appreciated. Limited Edition prints by Mark Hobson, W. Allan Hancock and Wesley Clark are only a few on view.

An amazing Native carving of a Killer whale carved by Quatsino artist Clarence Nelson was donated by Marine Harvest. Bill Beese has an exquisite Spotted Sandpiper carving. Les Trellenberg donated a Tumpeter Swan. All this is on auction to aid wildlife Rescue on Northern Vancouver Island. Birds abound in this art auction but there is more to appeal to every one on your holiday season giving list.

Tickets are $50 each or table of 8 for $375 for a delightful evening of entertainment that features fine local wines from Beaufort Estate winery, Blue Moon Wines, and Southend Vineyards on Quadra Island. Enjoy Surgenor Brewery lagers and ales. Take advantage of Adventure and escape packages to the Wickanninnnish Inn, the Inn at Laurel Point, Whiskey Point B & B on Quadra or the Blue Owl on Denman Island along with Whale Watching adventures from Stubbs Island or Seasmoke Adventure, Grizzly Bear Tours from TideRip Tours and Westcoast Helicopter rides. There are also golfing packages at Storey Creek and Crown Isle, Mulligans and Sunnydale, or gardening landscape packages from Oyster Bay Plant works and goodies from the Willows Wildbird Shop in Campbell River. More plants from Outback Nursery and Bees and Blooms. Lots more, in fact can be found but only if you come to support local wildlife.

Our sincere thanks to Our Big Earth, Mid Island Gifts, the Comox Valley Record and so many other incredible volunteers for their help with this fine event. Ticket available at Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce, or phone MARS 250-337-2021.

Fawn Fund Update

MARS Announces Winners of the 2009 Raffle

Our mainfundraiser this summer was a raffle with fantastic prizes thanks to some wonderful Vancouver Island Businesses. Our Raffle began and ended at Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens where this spring's feature Artist M.Warren Morgan donated a beautiful Limited edition print of "Her Winter Majesty" a Snowy Owl framed by Affordable Custom Framing and Art.

This 2nd prize item and other prizes were drawn on Monday Sept. 7th at 3:oo pm. BC Gaming event Class B Ticket Raffle #16009. This Second prize was won by Doreen Plouffe of Courtenay.

First Prize, a Winter Storm Watching at the Wickanninnish Inn was won by Douglas Sauer of Campbell River.

Prizes 3 & 4 - are 2 Seasmoke Whalewatching Adventures in Alert Bay -won by Ember Nuttall and Mark Gander.

Prize 5 - Destiny River Rafting Adventure Tour was won by Vic Nacci of Quathiaski Cove

Prize 6 - 2 beautiful painted skateboards a Wolf and Cougar were claimed by Melodie Berreth for her gandkids, of Campbell River's Willow's WildBird Shop on Dogwood Street.

We wish to sincerely thank all of our prize sponsors who donated to our event and helped us raise much needed funds to assist with operating costs at our wildlife centre. Also our deep gratitude to those who purchased tickets in support of wildlife rehab.

Best wishes to all who participated and many thanks to our core group of volunteers who helped with ticket sales throughout the long summer.