On April 6, around 60 poker players from across the region assembled in the Campbell’s Bay R.A. for a charity poker tournament to raise funds for the municipality’s new splash pad.

With eight people seated at each of the 10 different poker tables, the Campbell’s Bay R.A. looked more like a casino than a recreational facility.

For Campbell’s Bay councillor Tim Ferrigan, the event was a reminder of the community’s support when it comes to charitable events like this one.

“We’ve got great support from the community,” said Ferrigan. “We’ve got volunteers running the kitchen. All our meals were all donated by local people. The community in Campbell’s Bay always supports our events.”

An avid card player, with many friends of the same interest, Ferrigan decided that a tournament would be a great way to gather enough people to raise funds for the community while having fun at the same time.

A project in the works for the last three years, the Campbell’s Bay splash pad became a priority among the municipalities’ councillors after noticing how much the municipality plays host to youth from all over the Pontiac, especially during the summer.

“We have two primary schools in our municipality and we also have one of the biggest daycares in the Pontiac,” said Ferrigan. “On top of that, with our minor baseball and soccer leagues, pretty much every night of the summer we’ve got kids in Campbell’s Bay from all over the place.”

According to Ferrigan, the new splash pad will provide direct access to people from all across the region to help Campbell’s Bay become a more viable tourist destination within the Pontiac and to entice families to want to make it their home.

“We want to see our municipality grow,” said Ferrigan. “We want to attract people to live in Campbell’s Bay. It’s just another setup that might be attractive to people who might want to find a place to live in the Pontiac.”

At an estimated cost of anywhere between $160,000 and $200,000, Mayor Maurice Beauregard is certain that with the profits from the poker tournament and upcoming events, including the Campbell’s Bay Summer Festival in August, the municipality will reach its goal, effectively covering all costs for the project.

“We’ve raised over $60,000 so far fundraising for the splash pad so it will be built this summer,” said Beauregard.”

Satisfied with the overall turnout, with so many locals and outsiders attending the event, Beauregard was pleased to give locals something to do on a Saturday afternoon while letting tourists know a little more about Campbell’s Bay.

“It’s not a well-known town, so anybody we can get here as a visit is a bonus,” he said.

To help cover the cost of the project, Beauregard encourages residents to contribute to the cause in any way they can with events and fundraisers.

“We’ll let anybody run what they want to,” said Beauregard. “Anyone willing to put the time and the effort out.”

In total, the event raised more than $2,000.

Pictured, participants seated at their table observe their opponents waiting for their next move.

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