SILKS club set for Guilty Pleasures in April

The local ladies’ chapter of the Canadian Progress Club has the best entertainment planned for its annual fundraiser, which takes place in just more than three weeks.

Make that ‘Best’, as in Shirley Best, the legendary comical caricature festooned in polyester and thick make-up courtesy of Edmonton comedienne Zandra Bell. She is only one of several highlights of the show with the tantalizing name but an entirely altruistic purpose.

Guilty Pleasures is the flagship event for the CPC SILKS (Service In Love, Kindness and Strength). The evening of food, fashion and fun is strictly for women only. The only men allowed on site will be in the kitchen preparing the five-course meal. Of course there will be the tuxedo-clad waiters serving champagne and chocolate truffles. Lewis Lavoie will also be painting something new as the evening progresses and the work will be sold to the highest bidder along with other silent and live auction items. You can even enter a draw for diamond jewellery if you’re not too busy paying attention to the fashion show or enjoying the music and dancing.

Even though the logo for the event looks like a devilish Bratz character (complete with horns, tail, trident and Daisy Duke shorts), the purpose of Guilty Pleasures is to provide much-needed support for several St. Albert and Edmonton initiatives. The list of charities that will benefit from the fundraising include: the Special Olympics, Uncles and Aunts at Large, Camp Warwa, Brian Layton’s Infant Formula program at the St. Albert Food Bank, the Clean Scene Network for Youth, the Prostitution Awareness and Action Foundation of Edmonton and Little Bits Therapeutic Riding Association.

Charter member Sandra Outram said that, good deeds aside, it’s a ladies night that just can’t be missed.

“It’s a blast!” she enthused. “It’s good fun. Women can let their hair down, wear their night club clothes if they want … or not.”

One of the much-desired auction items is seating at the VIP table where a group of lucky ladies will get special treatment for the evening.

“There will be tiaras for the girls, and champagne and more champagne. Treat them like queens for the night.”

The fashion models will be strutting their stuff with wares from the Bridal and Tuxedo House, Midnight Magic, Oui 3 and Threadhill Designs, among others. Outram is clearly excited for the date to arrive so that she can sample the cuisine at the Italian Cultural Centre. She said that Zandra Bell is hilarious and lively. “She’s been a very successful comedienne for a long time. I’ve seen her before. I thought she’d be perfect for our crowd.”