Mannville Vermilion Highland Dance hosted their annual Robbie Burns Night at the Vermilion Regional Centre on January 26. Being the first time at the new location, they were thrilled to have sold out with 499 tickets. “We’d love to thank the multiple communities for coming. To have this kind of support is astounding, and we feel absolutely blessed that everyone came to celebrate with us,” said president, Nicole Polishuk. Mike Schalin emceed the event, the Lakeland Pipes and Drums Band played several Scottish tunes, and the Mannville Vermilion Highland Dancers performed several traditional and choreographed numbers. Trivia was placed on each table, for example, the tartans of the provinces. Tony Neilson gave a Selkirk grace, Shaun Donald gave the address to the haggis, and Dr. Stewart Hunter was welcomed shortly after.
Following a roast beef meal, guests enjoyed seeing recognizable dances including the Lilt, the Sailor’s Hornpipe, the Sword Dance, and the Mass Fling. Smiles of the dancers filled the Regional Centre with cheer. Overall, the celebration of Scottish culture and Robbie Burns was enjoyed by all. “Every year our club gets a little bigger, and it’s really a family sort of group. We would like to thank our families for their volunteer hours in planning this. We are very excited with our new venue. This year we had more pipers than ever before including youth. We would like to thank the band for honouring that great relationship and coming to support us every year,” said Polishuk.