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| Annual Meeting and the Start of our 160th Year Annual Meeting and the Start of our 160th Year Our annual meeting was held at The College of the Holy Cross on February 25, 2009 at 8:00 AM. A breakfast buffet and brief speeches included a special performance by Mackenzie Melemed, an eighth grade student at Bancroft School, and a piano prodigy from Paxton, MA. Mackenzie has performed at numerous venues and events including the White House and “From the Top” at Carnegie Hall. We were delighted to have Mackenzie as our special guest in honor of the start of our 160th year! (Please check our “News” page for more information). For more information, contact: 160th Anniversary Gala at Higgins Armory Museum
The
Big Dipper All You Can Eat Ice Cream Festival History
All-you-can-eat ice cream admission prices are: In addition to all-you-can-eat ice cream, there will be a raffle with great prizes, a food tent featuring grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and ice-cold soft drinks, face painting, Moonwalks and other games, entertainment, and the very cute and cuddly NEADS puppies. Thanks to the Lions District 33A, we will again have our very own Sightmobile on the premises to provide FREE hearing and sight checks. And Child Protection Resources, Inc. of Marlborough is returning to produce FREE fingerprinting and photo ID’s for the kids, an excellent way to keep your kids safe. Check back for more additions and updates to our festival! Free parking (all lots will be marked with a Big Dipper sign):
Sponsors and Ice Cream Donations – If you are a business and would like to sponsor the 2009 Big Dipper All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival, we welcome your participation. We welcome ice cream donations, too! You will be supporting the programs of Children’s Friend whose mission for the past 160 years has been to improve the lives of children and those who love them. Chartered in 1849, we are the oldest child and family service agency in Worcester.
To sponsor, donate ice cream or a raffle item, or to volunteer, please contact dhuegel@childrensfriend.org or call 508-753-5425. For more on Elm Park, go to: http://www.ci.worcester.ma.us/dpw/parks_rec/city_parks/elm_park/home.htm. See you at the 2009 Dipper!
The Big Dipper was voted Ayla Brown, American Idol finalist, was a particular standout. She played to a packed crowd, and had the kids up on stage dancing and singing with her – what a treat for Worcester! Chuck Demers of local favorite Chuck and Mud played wonderfully the entire day, and the Frog Point Fiddlers made a riveting appearance. People were delighted to soak up the lovely surroundings of Elm Park during Worcester’s favorite festival – the Big Dipper All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival. We could not have held the festival without the help of our very generous vendors and sponsors! Thank you to our 2008 Sponsors. The
Miles-Lincoln Silent and Live Auction and Dinner Gala 2008
With the support of The Hanover Insurance Group, Children's Friend was the first organization to use the beautifully renovated Hanover Theater for the Performing Arts for a fundraiser. The number of people who attended was a whopping (and record) 270. The only space in Hanover Theater that could accommodate so many people was on the stage, which turned out to be pretty exciting! The formal evening included hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, dinner, entertainment, and silent and live auctions. Children's Friend broke a new fundraising record by raising over $100,000 to support our programs. We thank everyone who attended, donated an item for our Auction, and especially to Hanover Insurance Group! Thanks to The Hanover Insurance Group for sponsoring the Miles-Lincoln Gala, to the many dedicated committee members, and to the wonderful companies and individuals who donated to our event. We are fortunate to have such strong support in our community. For more information
on sponsoring, donating an auction item, purchasing tickets to
the Gala, or volunteering for the Miles-Lincoln Gala, please contact: The Fourth Annual Carriage House Concert 2008 to Feature Show Tunes from the 1940’s Thanks to our sponsors and the large turnout we had at our fourth annual Carriage House Concert, over $11,000 was raised in support of our Grief Center. We broke another record in terms of attendance and for the money we raised! On October 18th and 19th, our lovely Great Room was filled with excited patrons in anticipation of being entertained by members of Mass Stage, Inc. who sang full throttle the lovely show tunes of the 1940’s. From one attendee came the dead-on remark, “It was as much fun watching the people in the room mouth the words and tapping their feet, as it was listening to the marvelous singers.” We also found that the complimentary champagne, soft drinks and desserts were popular! Special thanks go to the talented performers who donated their time and talent: Mezzo-Soprano Paulette LaBarre, Baritone Tom Lynch, Soprano Elisabeth LaBarre Gondek, Bass Michael Gondek, Tenor Richard Monroe, and internationally known Music Director, Ian Watson (who let us know that this is not his biggest gig, as he’s played for her Majesty the Queen of England). All proceeds from the concert benefit our grief center, The Carriage House, a safe place for youngsters to grieve when they experience the death of someone very close – a sibling, a parent or another primary caregiver. Services to grieving families are provided at The Carriage House grief support center at no charge. The Carriage House is the only grief center for children and their families in central Massachusetts. Thank you for your support! We hope to see everyone next year at our fifth annual Carriage House Concert in 2009 (date to be announced).Fourth Annual Carriage House Concert Sponsors To sponsor, volunteer, or to purchase tickets for this outstanding event, please contact: Deborah Huegel, Director of Marketing and Events |
Big Dipper All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival 2009.jpg)
Mark your calendars, and be sure to join us for the 2009 Big Dipper All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival on Saturday, July 11, 2009, from 11 AM to 6 PM. Due to popular demand, we’re back again at Elm Park – an overwhelming crowd favorite.
NEACCA will be opening for Ayla Brown, American Idol finalist, at 1:15 PM. The New England Area Community Chorus Association will sing a selection of Broadway and patriotic tunes. NEACCA recently performed at The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts. Be sure to catch this great show. The NEACCA are singers that are members of the New England Area Community Chorus Association. The association is designed to support and strengthen community choruses in the New England area.
Special Performance by Ayla Brown - Come meet Massachusetts’ own idol, Ayla Brown, American Idol finalist from season five of the hit show. Ayla will perform at 2:00 PM, sign autographs, and have her CD’s and clothing line available for purchase. After American Idol, Ayla made notable appearances including singing the National Anthem at Red Sox games and Boston's Fourth of July celebration on the Esplanade, performing in front of an audience of over 20,000 at Kiss 108 FM's annual Kiss Concert in Mansfield, and appearing at the second annual "Hot Stove, Cool Music" concert at Fenway Park. Ayla also starred in the 2008 Reagle Players' production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice masterpiece Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. She is not only an outstanding singer and actress, but an accomplished basketball player, and attends Boston College on a full athletic scholarship. We’re delighted to have her perform at the Dipper for the second year in a row. For more on Ayla go to 
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