WINNIPEGGERS MIX WITH CELEBRITIES AT GALA IN BANFF

Date: January 20, 2006
Posted At: Winnipeg Free Press
By: Jen Skerritt

Lake Louise, Alta., morphed into a mecca for celebrities last weekend and six Winnipeggers were lucky enough to get an invitation.

The Canadian hot spot for skiing hosted a gala in support of Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s Waterkeeper Alliance, which promotes clean water, and VIPs from across the continent turned up in droves. The guest list included Hollywood's Alec Baldwin, Lyle Lovett, former 90210 star Ian Ziering, and well-known Canadians like National Chief Phil Fontaine and Dan Aykroyd. Winnipeggers like Vault Salon & Spa's John Graham, Jackie Elliott and Jane Tescon and Four Rivers Medical Clinic's Tina Wasicuna and Bonnie Wellford were excited to be part of the water-focused weekend.

Daren Jorgenson, owner of Vault Salon & Spa and Four Rivers Medical Clinic, now lives primarily in Banff and says that's how he got himself and his employees involved in the Waterkeeper cause.

Vault Salon & Spa's John Graham says it was his first time mixing with the stars and admits that seeing so many famous people at once is a bit odd.

"It was a little weird just seeing them in real life," he says. "Their faces are embedded in your head and all of a sudden they're right there."

Once the initial shock wore off, Graham and his colleagues made small talk with Lovett, Aykroyd and Martin Sheen. Guests enjoyed the ritzy atmosphere along with wine and cheese, and Graham says the celebs weren't shy about chatting with anyone and everyone.

While Graham jokes that he often didn't know what to say, he reports that many American celebrities like Sheen were in awe of the Canadian Rockies and the fabulous skiing this side of the border. Others, like Aykroyd, were more at home amusing everyone.

"He almost entertains the room," Graham says.