Psst. Hey, buddy. Wanna head down to the speakeasy? Guaranteed good hooch. It'll be the cat's pajamas.
The Penticton Art Gallery wants to transport you back in time when it holds its biggest fundraiser of the year on June 27. Back a full century - when flappers danced across the stage, machine guns and pinstripes were all the rage, and prohibition banned the sale of booze.
They're calling it Speakeasy 2019 in honour of the underground bars where, for a few clams, you could score yourself some giggle water.
PAG board member and fundraiser committee member Kristine Shepherd got herself all dolled up last weekend to sell tickets for the event, and chatted with us afterward.
"It's our 42nd annual art auction, our biggest fundraiser of the year," she said. "It's basically a live auction, a silent auction, and dinner and drinks."
"This year's theme is the prohibition speakeasy. Legend Distilling will be handing out prohibition-style cocktails upon entry, Bench 1775 will provide the wine, and Cannery Brewing will provide the beer."
The night will feature flapper dancers, a meal from sought-after Okanagan caterer "The Chef in Stead," and music from jazz band "Sax Among Friends." Shepherd says the tickets "come with wine, a cocktail, entertainment, food, and desserts. And you get to bid on a wonderful piece of art."
And that, at its core, is what Speakeasy 2019 is all about - raising money for the building, its programs, its classes, and its art. And that's an especially big deal now. Now that the Penticton Art Gallery has become a frequent target of criminals.
The Gallery was hit on the 5th of March, the 17th of March, the 14th of May, and the 20th of May. All break-ins occurred between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., and to date, says curator Paul Crawford, no one has been apprehended.
Each time, says Crawford, the Gallery has beefed up its security. Yet, "Every time they've gotten in, we've learned another weakness in our system."
"The first time I think they popped the door on the side of the building. It was more of a smash and grab. But I think they were also watching the reactions from the police."
"Ten days later they hit us again. That time they seemed to have more time to take their time. They knew the police would come and do the same routine, check the doors, do a perimeter check, look in the windows as best they could. And they thought it was a false alarm, like the first time. And this time they'd gone through all the jewelry in the cases, and really cleaned out the gift shop."
"The third time they felt they had a lot more time to pick and choose stuff," says Crawford, though by now the Gallery had hired a security team who "comes when the alarm rings." According to Crawford, the team actually chased the crooks out of the building and immediately reported to the police.
The fourth break-in attempt was less successful. An entry through the Gallery's roof hatch - likely the same technique used in at least one of the earlier heists - was thwarted by a newly installed alarm.
Since the first break-in in early March, thieves have stolen two laptops, jewelry, gift shop items, a cash drawer, a camera, and more. And they've caused damage along the way. The losses to date total $25,000.
And that figure doesn't count for the damaged psyche of the folks who work there. People like Crawford, who prides himself in "making the Gallery as open and accessible to as many people as possible, without judgment," and feels the thieves "knew exactly what they were going for."
Crawford talks about the people who "inhabit our doorstep at night" and how there's more of them now, and says he "engages in a relationship with them."
But, he says, "I know they're not the problem. The guys who targeted our building are of a different ilk."
All of this is precisely why this year's art auction is so critical. The Gallery's typically tight budget is now even tighter.
Among the 200-plus pieces up for bids are works from artists such as Aba Bayefsky, Zeljko Kujundzic, William John Bertram Newcombe, and John Michael Anthony Koerner.
Crawford is especially fond of an untitled piece by renowned Ojibwa painter Benjamin Chee Chee, who passed away in 1977 at a mere 33 years of age, on the apparent verge of international stardom.
"He's been one of the best, most merchandised Canadian artist of recent times. It's the simplicity of his lines. To have one of his pieces is something else. It really belongs in a museum collection, but it's here for sale."
All auction items are available for online bidding right now at this link. Then, says Kristine Shepherd, "During the live auction on the 27th, the bidding starts at what the last online bid was. We'll have people on the phone that night with the top online bidders, so they can keep on bidding."
Ticket prices for Speakeasy 2019 are $60 for members, and $75 for non-members. The latter will include a year-long Gallery membership. Tickets are available in person at the Gallery at 199 Marina Way, by calling the Gallery at 250-493-2928, or at Eventbrite.
Doors open at 5:30.
