After closing time on April 16, the ValleyFair Mall will be converted into a festival site by local Rotarians.
The two clubs – Haney and Meadowridge Rotary – will host their Wine Festival and Craft Beer Tasting in the shopping centre at 22709 Lougheed Hwy.
There will be local bands playing at opposite ends of the mall, and between them will be booths representing 18 different wineries and micro breweries offering samples. There will also be cheeses, grapes and hors d'oeuvres, and those attending can bid on silent auction items.
The club has revived the tasting event after a seven-year hiatus, said event organizer Deddy Geese, and it is one of the few fundraisers both clubs collaborate on. They borrowed the idea of a mall location from Langley Rotary, which hosts 1,000 people in a shopping centre for a similar tasting event. The ValleyFair event has tickets for 400.
"It will be a great social event for a reasonable price," said Geese. "We're raising money, and will showcase what Rotary is all about."
Tickets are $45. All proceeds will support youth, culture and other Rotary charities in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
For tickets call Ineke Boekhorst at 604-467-2420 or Geese at 604-467-5535. Or see the website www.meadowridgerotary.ca to order online. Tickets cannot be purchased at the door.