Unexpected Surprise.

Back in the seventies when I was heavily involved in politics I was given the opportunity to attend a conference in Windsor regarding parks and recreation. I attended with my fellow alderman Wally and our wives. This conference used to highlight the latest in equipment used in managing community parks. Seminars and displays took up most of the time but the ladies were entertained by the host city and companies wishing to make sales had hospitality rooms for the community reps.

There was one company which was a major player in the business of providing equipment to the province and some major heads of the civil service lost their jobs because of their inappropriate involvement with this company. Newspapers like to report scandal so everyone attending this conference was well informed about the problem. This company and its owner invited people to attend their display and have some refreshments. Wally and I asked our wives if they wished to come and the opted out for a flower show at the famous Windsor  Rose Garden. Windsor is known as the city of roses.

Wally and I weighed the consequences of attending the display as we had before. We actually were good friends of the owner and now famous person connected to the scandal. We went anyway and arrived at the hospitality room and found that we were the only two there except the four reps from the company. The host, Duke welcomed us and showed us the line of equipment while drinking a a new cocktail made from a yellow liquor being imported from Italy that year. It was good but not as good as the next entertainment.

Our host always had a large following and to that end he rented the bar at the Elms Hotel, a few blocks away for drinks and entertainment. A lemo drove us the quarter of a mile to the Elms along with the company reps and we entered the large bar. Prepared for a hundred or more but seeing only six the bar owner quickly set up one table in front of the stage. Food and drinks were served and with little fanfare the curtain was drawn and a small band played lively music as the band leader introduced Ann Margaret.

Tiny in stature but a great dancer she entertained us for about twenty minutes to a grateful audience of six. She came and met Duke and he introduced us and he thanked her for her talent. For all the disappointment and embarrassment you would never know it as Duke said it was all part of doing business. Wally and I thanked our host and were driven back to our hotel. When our wives saw us they questioned where we were. We told them we were to see Ann Margaret and they laughed thinking we made up the story to cover the possibility we had been visiting all the hospitality rooms.

We attended the banquet that night and when we told the friends of our adventure they were upset but still were skeptical. Next day as we were leaving Windsor I drove past the Elms and there in bold letters was the name of Ann Margaret as the featured entertainment. Pretty good surprise and entertainment for a couple of Valley Boys.