Featuring around 15 musical acts from the Ottawa Valley, the event consisted of a charity concert in memory of Allumettes Island’s very own Eli Boucher all while raising funds for Residence Meilleur.

Organized by Boucher’s wife Joan and his son Eli Jr., the event was put together in an effort to fulfill a promise they made to Boucher before he passed away last December.

“He said ‘I want you to have big party for me,’” she said. “We said ‘Okay, we will’ and this is what he wanted.”

Having put on numerous benefit concerts for some of his fallen comrades over the course of his career, Boucher had frequently brought up his desire of his life being commemorated with a benefit concert, Joan said.

Highly regarded as a talented singer and a philanthropist, Joan felt like it would be fitting to use the concert as a fundraiser for Residence Meilleur.

Slated for a 7 p.m. start, folks started flooding the premises around 20 minutes earlier and by the time the concert began, parking space was extremely limited outisde the R.A., as cars took up almost every spot of space on the grassy area next to the arena.

Inside the arena, lights we’re heavily dimmed as a bunch of tables topped with white cloths were sprawled throughout the rink in front of the main stage.

In front of the stage flashing with colourful lightwork while emanating smoke, a large framed photograph of Boucher sat on a stand next to a burgundy-coloured electric guitar. A number of other photos of Boucher and sentimental souvenirs were displayed along the perimeter of the rink.

A few volunteers sold drinks from the bar to keep attendees from going thirsty, while others fixed up trays of sandwiches and finger foods to go around throughout the evening.

Once people finally settled into their seats, the evening’s emcee John Freeman stepped on stage to give a word of welcome to the attendees, thanking them for joining him in the celebration of Boucher’s legacy.

After his brief spiel, Boucher’s son Eli Jr. and his bandmates graced the stage and rocked the crowd with a number of classic tunes that folks sang along to, which included Jimmy Buffet’s “Margaritaville” and “With a Little Help from my Friends” from The Beatles.

The rest of the lineup kept the night going in festive fashion. However, out of every performance, one in particular didn’t leave a single eye cry, by the end of it. Boucher’s daughter-in-law Anusha, a classical pianist, played a special rendition of Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale” as a tribute to Boucher – a song he always wanted to be played at his funeral.

“Everybody cried,” Joan said.

Capping off the night in style, the remaining members of Boucher’s band, Eli & the Scramblers, paid the ultimate homage to their band leader by performing some of the best tracks they had made over the years.

A life-long devoted performer, Boucher started his career as a young teenager, entertaining folks in various establishments around Allumettes Island.

While he didn’t play any particular instrument, Boucher’s iconic persona was evident through his way of connecting with audiences with his infectiously charismatic character combined with his angelic vocals.

“He had a fantastic voice and stage personality,” said Joan. “He was able to bring people together. He had a magical voice. He was very commanding and very much a leader.”

Reflecting on the massive flocks of people who came out to celebrate her husband’s life, it was a reminder of what a great person he was in the eyes of the community – reassuring her that his legacy will live on forever.

“It made me so very proud of him,” she said. “As a man I know that he’ll never be forgotten. His band played at so many parties and for so many different charities and events. When he played, they danced. They sang with him and they loved to see him.”

Absolutely delighted with the turnout, Joan said that Boucher would’ve been very satisfied with how grandiose the event was and humbled knowing just how highly the community regarded him.

“If he was looking down on us, I hope he was, he would have been very, very happy with it,” she said.

In total, the concert raised around $8,000 for Residence Meilleur, Joan said.

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