2026 ENJOY THE FLAVOURS OF PORT HOPE
On Saturday, February 28 2026, the Port Hope Rotary Club hosted its 3rd annual “Enjoy the Flavours of Port Hope” fundraiser at the Cobourg Lions Community Centre. The event had record-turnout of over 230 guests and we surpassed our previous year’s fundraising for local service projects! There was a country theme this year which everyone enthusiastically embraced, as evidenced by the number of cowboy hats, plaid or flannel shirts, and cowboy boots worn to the event!
Fundraising activities included some games, raffle, and a silent auction with a fantastic assortment of ~60 items (all donated by local merchants and residents) which was enthusiastically supported by guests who kept the bidding going until close! The live auction was also a blast and included unique packages donated by the Municipality of Port Hope, Port Hope Police Services, Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services, Steve Tallo-TMG-The Mortgage Group, and Port Hope native Owen Beck (drafted by the Montreal Canadiens and currently playing in the AHL for Laval Rocket).
During the evening, Kevin Stuart from Northumberland 89.7FM acted as Master of Ceremonies, and we were honoured by the presence of Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky, David Piccini – MPP-Northumberland Peterborough-South, Philip Lawrence - MP-Northumberland Peterborough-South, Chief of Police Tim Farquharson – Port Hope Police Services, Chief Jason Williams – Port Hope Fire and Emergency Services, Liz Compton - Rotary District 7070 District
Governor-Elect, Tina Martin - Rotary District 7070 Governor Nominee, among many other distinguished guests.
We are grateful to EVERYONE who attended and shared in the evening of great food, fantastic community spirit, and generous fundraising.
It was wonderful to experience the unique community spirit during the evening and the celebration of our beautiful municipality (both rural and urban) and surrounding areas. We were blessed during the evening to have the help of ~30 student volunteers who worked hard throughout the evening and provided exceptional service to all. Indeed, the students truly demonstrated Rotary’s commitment to “service above self” and were excellent representatives for their respective schools (Port Hope High School, Cobourg Collegiate Institute, St. Mary’s Catholic Secondary School) and Rotary Youth Exchange District 7070!
Guests were treated to a special evening of entertainment from our two local musicians: Ryan Scott and Dan Farrell who kept us tapping to a broad array of country tunes, and Nancy Gibbons (Mindful Meridians) was our line-dance instructor extraordinaire. Ryan, Dan and Nancy (and her team of dancers) went above-and-beyond by keeping us entertained with music and dancing long after the auctions closed!
Port Hope Rotary appreciates all our event sponsors, without whom the evening would not have been possible: The Bee Works, TD Everest Group, Bird Construction, Cameco, LeBlanc Enterprises, Ganaraska Brewing Co, Trade Tech Industries, Holton Flowers, Northumberland 89.7FM, Mindful Meridians!
Each year our food and dessert lineups WOW everyone, and this year was no exception! We wish to recognize all our participating restaurants, bakeries and caterers who treated everyone to an amazing assortment of food and desserts. It’s fair to say that NOBODY left the evening hungry! Kudos to: The Beamish House, Café Lviv, Craft Food House, Cucina Urbana, Dalewood Golf Club, Frosted Flour, Lisa’s Catering, Queenies Bake Shop, Rey Rays, Santorini Restaurant
and The Schnitzel Shack.
And last but not least, we thank our Club members: from the planning committee, the directors of the silent and live auctions, the supervisors of the student volunteers and all members who showed up to help with set-up, execution of the evening, and take-down.
Thanks to everyone for your support and generosity and we hope to see you all again next year!
