Turbine Showcase a world-class event in rural Nova Scotia

Over 300 patrons of fashion warmed up to vintage wool and rich brocades at the 2007 Turbine Showcase held at Kings-Edgehill School’s Fountain Theatre Oct. 19.

The annual event is a blend of catwalk fashion, wine and canapés, music from crooner Pat Watson and proceeds for the Turbine Fund, which has raised over $40,000 to-date for charitable foundations.

Hosted again by this year by CTV’s Liz Rigney, Showcase delivered what many described as a world-class event in rural Nova Scotia.

When Turbine owner and designer Lisa Drader-Murphy moved her studio from Calgary to rural Nova Scotia, she said everyone told her it couldn’t be done. Eight years later her style creations have garnered a faithful following and Showcase continues to be covered by local, provincial and national media.

This year, CTV’s Canadian Learning Television in Edmonton caught up with their native fashionista and traveled to Falmouth for a behind-the-scenes look at the pre-show frenzy for Career TV.

“It’s fantastic to know I’m still on their radar,” Drader- Murphy said.

The two-person crew of Danny Baldassarre and Kelsey Dyer shadowed Showcase staff and volunteers as they hustled to prepare for the big night.

“We’re just so impressed that she made the decision to move her business here even though it was already successful in Calgary. And the fact she did that so she could enjoy the rural lifestyle is something we think Canadians will want to know,” Dyer said.

Drader-Murphy said she has never had a television crew onsite the day of the event, so she did as much preparation as possible the day before.

Along with national coverage, Eastlink Television was on hand at FountainTheatre to make a documentary on the event and The Hants Journal recorded a few moments for this week’s edition and the NovaNewsNow.com website.

The amount raised this year hadn’t been tallied by press time and Drader-Murphy said that although it’s a fundraiser, it’s different in the sense that ticketholders do not make donations. Rather, all proceeds from the show go to the Turbine Fund.

Drader-Murphy said the show is a great opportunity for cross-promotion as other businesses in the fashion industry get involved. This year Caramel Salon and Spa of Wolfville offered its services. Owners and Master Stylists Keagan Coolen and Mike Haley arrived with staff in tow Friday afternoon to transform 10 models into runway visions.

“This was a new collaboration for me and they were so enthusiastic. They went overboard on everything; it was great,” Drader-Murphy said.