In the early 1990s, we held a Directors-only Christmas Dinner at Canada Olympic Park in the ATCO Center, which was also our monthly meeting place. We shared a meal and then went around the table with each Director describing their favourite Christmas customs and plans for the holiday.
In 1995–96, when I was Booster Club President, I decided to expand the event into a Christmas party for Directors and their spouses. It was still held at the ATCO Center, with dinner and a gift exchange. We played a few games and held a Christmas trivia competition. One of the games involved writing three true facts about yourself and one lie. Sitting at tables of six, each person read their four statements, and the others tried to guess which one was the lie. Spouses couldn’t participate when their partner was speaking. After everyone guessed, the person revealed the lie. Anyone who fooled their entire table won a prize.
Next, the full group came back together. Each table winner read their four statements to everyone, and I asked the audience to raise their hands when I read the statement they believed was the lie. Anyone who fooled the entire room won a major prize.
We continued hosting the party at the ATCO Center for several years and introduced a lottery supporting the Calgary Herald’s Christmas Wish program. In 2013, we moved to the Markin MacPhail Centre after WinSport took over. Former Director John Konihowski recommended shifting our support to KidSport Calgary, whose mission aligned more closely with the Booster Club’s mandate. His wife, Diane Jones Konihowski, then the Executive Director for Alberta, spoke to us about the benefits of choosing KidSport as our official Christmas Dinner fundraiser. We adopted it, and since then have raised over $4,000 for KidSport Calgary.
In 2016, we moved the Christmas Party to the Carriage House Inn, where we stayed for two years. Directors and friends continued to buy lottery tickets for a chance to win one of many draw prizes. In 2018, I began searching for a new venue, and since the CSHSAA had held successful dinners at the Glenmore Inn, I explored it as an option. I met with Catering Manager Cindy Thomas to discuss possibilities. To my surprise, she told me she was a strong supporter of the Calgary Booster Club, as her father, Stan Jaycock, had been selected as our 1981 Sportsman of the Year. We have hosted the event at the Glenmore Inn since 2018 and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience at this first-class facility.
From 1995 to 2024, we held the Booster Club Christmas Party every year except 2020 and 2021, when COVID-19 prevented large gatherings. Each year, many Sportspersons of the Year and past Directors attend the celebration.
Lawrence King
Booster Club Historian