Back for another year of raising funds towards helping women and their children walk away from domestic violence, the YWCA managed to bring 114 brave local men-folk out of their comfy loafers and into the uncomfortable confines of a sky-high stiletto.
The annual 'Walk A Mile In Her Shoes' event in support of the YWCA of Calgary was as popular as ever this year, with a huge crowd turning out over the noon hour at Olympic Plaza to see hairy-legged family, friends, co-workers and perfect strangers strap on a pair of heels and strut their stuff. This year's Top Walker award went to Mr. Paul Kelly, who raised an incredible $7,375 and looked rather handsome in a head-to-toe navy number, complete with white feather boa and what can only be described as pole-dancing pumps. Team Realex in their lovely orange shirts -- led by a fearless fellow in a long blonde wig complete with matching moustache - took home the Top Team honours after raising a whopping $25,025.
Team BMO was second at $5,945, with the striking she-man pair of Don Biberdorf and Ken Skingle from the Felesky Flynn law firm close behind with $5,760. While organizers had hoped to reach their $150,000 fundraising goal, yesterday's tally of $131,398 was nothing to complain about.
"It's been phenomenal event," said Silvana Saccomani from the YWCA. "It's a fun event and yet it raises awareness for a very serious cause." For more quotes, footnotes and tall hairy blokes wearing hot pink pumps, head to Six in the City online.
TIPS FOR TUESDAY
Phew! What a whirlwind. Back at my Page Six post after tying the knot to my Stampede '07 sweetheart -- who, for the record, is not actually my cousin despite ongoing reports. He's just my Grandma's second husband's daughter's husband's cousin. A few handy tips I managed to pull together for anyone considering building a house, planning a wedding, completing a half-Ironman and moving into their parents' basement all in the same summer.
1. Do not, under any circumstance, sign up for the above. You will find yourself far too drunk at your own wedding as a result.
2. Saving up every last drop of your annual vacation days until the dying days of summer before taking it all at one time is a sure-fire way to make you feel like you were ripped off from receiving a July and August.
3. Upon finally returning to work, consider having someone else open your stack of mail. Returning after a tropical vacation only to see a hot-off-the-press copy of the 2010 Farmer's Almanac in your mailbox calling for a "cold, snowy Alberta winter" can be enough to send you for a stroll across the Deerfoot.
4. Likewise, avoid reading too deeply into the fact that a new, beautifully bound Best of Bridge cookbook awaits you on your first day back to work as a married woman.
Rather than deciding to take up cooking, baking or brewing anything other than the morning coffee for your new hubby, 'tis better to decide right then and there to focus on the whimsical quotes in the binder-sized book instead. Like, for example, "the most difficult years of marriage are those following the wedding." Fantastic.
EXPO OVERLOAD
From Thursday through Sunday, Stampede Park was bumpin' with the Home and Interior Design Show, the Body Soul and Spirit Expo and the Portobello West Fashion and Art Market. And if hosting your free-lovin' hippie friends from Vancouver while they sell their artsy-fartsy wares at the market all weekend isn't exciting enough, doing so while moving made for a patchouli-scented group sleepover on the air mattress my new husband may never forgive me for.
KELLY.DOODY@SUNMEDIA.CA
