A new fundraising event in Bouchie Lake will celebrate pioneering spirit and community while giving guests a chance to try their luck at casino classics like blackjack and poker.

Casino Night, celebrating Pioneer Life of the Past and Future, takes place Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Bouchie Lake Hall from 6-11 p.m. and will raise money for both the Bouchie Lake Watershed Stewardship Society (BLWSS) and the Friends of Bouchie-Milburn Society (FoBM).

Heloise Dixon-Warren, who is secretary of the FoBM and a director with the BLWSS, says one of the BLWSS members came up with the casino idea to do something fun to raise money and awareness of the organization, and she suggested partnering with the FoBM.

“The theme is Pioneer Life of the Past and Future because we thought we would set it in the early 1900s,” she said. “It fits well with the activities of the FoBM with our Billie Bouchie Days. It’s B.C. Heritage Week, and we thought it would be fun to do something that celebrates our heritage out here specifically in the Bouchie Lake area and fits in with B.C. Heritage Week.

“We wanted to bring something new, and we wanted to collaborate, that’s a big thing. It’s nice to see that type of partnership in a rural community.”

This new event is set in the early 1900s and features live entertainment, casino games, carnival games like ring toss and darts, a 50/50 draw, a hearty homemade supper inspired by meals in the early 1900s and Bouchie Bucks, available exclusively through the Bank of Bouchie.

Guests will receive some Bouchie Bucks with their tickets, and then they have to go to the Bank of Bouchie to purchase more Bouchie Bucks to play games throughout the evening, explained Dixon-Warren, who notes the Bouchie Bucks all have historical photos of Bouchie Lake and of Billie and Lizette Boucher on them.

Guests who win Bouchie Bucks will be able to use them towards silent auction items and basket draws, and Dixon-Warren says there are many great items that will be available.

“We’ve had phenomenal sponsorship,” she said.

Tickets for the Feb. 22 Casino Night are $25 and are available at the Bouchie Lake Country Store and at Barkerville Brewing Co.

Because this is a licensed event with gambling, ticket holders must be 19 or older.

Proceeds from the Casino Night will go to the Bouchie Lake Watershed Stewardship Society, which is fundraising towards its society goals to raise awareness around the health of the Bouchie Lake watershed, and to the Friends of Bouchie-Milburn Society, which is raising money to support the fourth annual Billie Bouchie Day celebrations, which will take place this May.

“It should be fun,” said Dixon-Warren. “It’s all being done by volunteers, and that’s really great.”

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