Pacific National Exhibition will donate $50,000 from its Christmas lights event to brighten the life of farmers affected by recent atmospheric river-caused flooding.
The WinterLights drive-thru event will take place at Hastings Park in December, allowing people to navigate through nine Christmas light displays with characters and performers. The funds collected, up to $50,000, will go to the Canadian Red Cross to provide humanitarian assistance.
Money will help the Red Cross “carry out relief, recovery, resilience and risk reduction activities in and beyond the region, at the individual and community levels,” a news release on Tuesday read.
“Since our first PNE fair in 1910, agriculture has been at the heart of our organization,” Shelley Frost, PNE president and CEO, added.
“For more than 110 years B.C.’s farmers have exhibited, competed, educated and been part of the fabric of our fair. From 4-H to fifth-generation farmers, the PNE and B.C.’s agricultural community have stood shoulder-to-shoulder supporting one another, committed to bridging the gap between rural and urban British Columbia.”
Frost said that the PNE is devastated to see the flooding across farms in B.C., from Abbotsford to Chilliwack and Merritt to Kamloops and beyond, who are the organization’s friends and partners.
The PNE’s contribution will be matched by both B.C. and Canadian governments, said the press release.
Tickets for WinterLights must be purchased in advance and are $37 or $42 per carload, depending on day. There is a maximum of eight people per vehicle.
Tickets to see WinterLights can be purchased at ticketleader.ca.
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