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Celebrate Robbie Burns at the Winspear

Cultural event supports Greater Victoria Police Pipe Band
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Members of the Greater Victoria Police Pipe Band. The pipe band is hosting a Robbie Burns Dinner at the Winspear Centre this month.

This month, the annual Robbie Burns Dinner hosted by the Greater Victoria Police Pipe Band (GVPPB) takes place at the Mary Winspear Centre and organizers are hoping for a sell-out crowd.

“This will be the 11th year for the Robbie Burns dinner at the Winspear,” said the event’s chair and emcee, Jim Maxwell.

“It’s also sold out almost 10 years in a row so we’re hoping for those numbers again.”

The annual event is a celebratory tribute to the life, works and spirit of Scottish poet, Robert Burns, Maxwell explained.

Two and a half centuries after his birth, the annual Robbie Burns Dinner celebration at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney always includes the traditions of drinking single malt Scotch whisky, recitation of Burns’ works, playing of the bagpipes, highland dancers and eating haggis, all in the spirit of Burns.

The event on Saturday, Jan. 25 also features a large silent auction and 50/50 draw (cash and cheque only).

The GVPPB was established in 2000 to enhance the profile of police within the community and promote appreciation for pipe band music, said Maxwell.

“The proceeds from the dinner go back into our cultural initiatives which are all self-funded,” he explained.

“We play in the Remembrance Day and Christmas parades, and at events like the Highland Games and this year we’re traveling to Stirling, Scotland to play in the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn celebrations.”

Tickets for the Burns Dinner are $55 per person and can be purchased through Ron Morgan at 250-383-6182.

Doors open at 5 p.m. on Jan. 25 and celebrations start at 5:45 p.m.

reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com