Eganville – Melissa Bishop will be honoured at a homecoming dinner on the evening of Saturday, September 10 at the Eagle’s Nest at 7 p.m.
Due to the smaller venue, only 200 tickets will be available to the public. The tickets are $85 each and all proceeds from the dinner will form part of a community gift for Ms. Bishop.
“We realize the demand for tickets will far outstrip their availability,” Melissa Bishop Homecoming Weekend committee chair Gerald Tracey said. “Normally, an event of this magnitude would be held on the arena floor to accommodate 450 to 500 people, but the ice plant will be turned on two days before the dinner so that ice is ready for the season by the following weekend.”
However, Mr. Tracey said anyone who is unable to get tickets can still contribute to a community gift fund. Donations can be left where dinner tickets are being sold.
Tickets will be available only at: The Eganville Leader; Conway’s Pharmacy in Cobden; Ray’s Flowers in Pembroke; Petawawa Toyota in Pembroke, and the Valley Gazette in Barry’s Bay.
Cheques for dinner tickets are payable to: Melissa Bishop Dinner. Anyone wishing to contribute to the gift fund should make cheques payable to: Melissa Bishop Gift Fund. Cheques for the gift fund can be mailed to P.O. Box 310, Eganville, ON K0J 1T0.
Ms. Bishop is being honoured for her outstanding performance at the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro where she posted a new personal best while setting a new Canadian record. She narrowly missed a bronze medal in a race that has generated plenty of controversy, yet she continues to be extremely eloquent and gracious despite what must have been an extremely frustrating time in her career.