Pattaya Orphanage dancers
perform traditional Thai dances.
The Rotary Club of the Eastern Seaboard’s final
fundraising event of 2011 was the “Christkindl Fair” at the Diana Garden
Resort & Golf. Thirty-four vendors showed off their products, some in 3-D.
The free Dec. 3-4 event was opened by Sopin Thappajug,
managing director for the Diana Group, RCES President Carl R. Dyson and Jack
Levy, managing director of MLG Insurance Brokers, who doubled as a jovial
Santa Claus.
Once the doors opened, the fundraising began in earnest
and visitors all seemed happy to grab pre-Christmas gifts. Exhibitors
offered a whole range of merchandise, from local products to technical and
electrical appliances, from home coffee-brewing to T-shirts, from casual
lady garments to trendy polo shirts, and hand-woven carpets from
predominantly Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Steve Ryser (2nd left) mans
“Steve’s Champagne Bar” with Carl R Dyson, Brian Alexander and Aad Scholtes.
Two artists displayed oil paintings on traditional wood
and canvas, one of whom developed his artworks based on natural materials
like tree roots and highlighted with small ceramic tiles.
Furniture was presented in wood and linen upholstery.
Another vendor displayed trendy, though classic, leather seating sets.
Jewelers also brought their collections, both fashionable and rustic,
classic and modern. Skin potions, healing creams and herbal medicine also
found their way to interested visitors.
The RCES Tombola this year was another highlight of the
day. Twenty grand prizes were drawn, with some spectacular winning
opportunities carried away by lucky winners.
Santa in conference with two
visitors receiving their goodies.
Amongst the many donated items were a Mityon Suzuki
Smash, a pair of Bangkok Airways tickets with three nights at the Serenity
Resort & Spa in Phuket, and a stay for two nights at the Amari Watergate
Hotel in Bangkok.
Innumerable food vouchers from top hotels and restaurants
in Pattaya were also offered, including about 100,000 baht in prizes from
the Pattaya Hilton, Marriott Resort and Spa, Bruno’s, Casa Pascal, Swiss
Paradise Village, Swiss Sabai, Antoni’s and Ristorante da Marco.
Bottles of wine, spirits, mobile phones, and electrical
appliances rounded out the list of items to be won with a 20 baht ticket.
Sopin “Noi” Thappajug does
some pre-Christmas shopping.
The evening’s finale came with two sessions by the choir
of the Pattaya Orphanage. One was a traditional Thai performance dedicated
to HM the King and the other a collection of Christmas carols. Kids from
ages 3 to 20 all participated, led by Director Radchada Chomjinda.
This 70-member choir, dressed for the occasion in white
tunics, a Santa hat and a red slash over the right shoulder, performed
renditions of holiday classics in Thai, English and German.
Of course, every Christkindl Fair features “Steve’s
Champagne Bar” and despite a recent health scare, Steve Ryser was there once
again to host.
The adorable Pattaya Orphanage
Choir performs superbly.
