North Portal received a heartwarming boost at its annual Party in the Park on Saturday, as the community came together to celebrate two unexpected donations totaling $60,000 for the Maxwell Park project.

The crowd of 90 people was surprised when The Knox United Church of North Portal and Baniulis RDL Ventures Inc. announced they would both be donating $30,000, with the funds going towards a new park shelter.

The Party in the Park is an annual summer celebration that brings the community together to enjoy the park.

“We’ve also been using it as a way to raise funds for a new park shelter."  said Village Administrator Lindsay Davis. "We had to tear down our old one a few years ago because it was old and there were some safety concerns,”.

North Portal has been fundraising for the new shelter for the past few years, with some of their efforts put on the back burner due to COVID.  

She added that Gene Baniulis presented the cheque at the party, and everyone was blown away by the generous donation.

“We’re really excited because we can start working on a new shelter and perhaps by next summer, we’ll have a new shelter to host our party in, so that’s really exciting.”