This year’s O’Brien Awards will feature a silent auction with proceeds going towards an engraved memorial stone for the 43 horses lost in the barn fire at Classy Lane Training Centre.
This will be part of a larger project that will be coordinated by Greer Landscaping, owned by Standardbred industry participants Teri-Lynn Greer and Doug Bowins. Greer Landscaping has offered to install a memorial garden including a circular walkway, benches and rose bushes. In the middle of this area would be a large stone engraved with the names of the horses lost in the fire. The company is coordinating the donation of all materials, providing the labour for the project and Standardbred Canada will assist with the funding of the engraved stone.
The plan is to erect this memorial in the spring.
The permanent memorial garden will be a tribute to the lives of the horses and will be coordinated with Barb and Jamie Millier, owners of Classy Lane.
Below is a design of what the garden and memorial would look like.
The O’Brien Awards' silent auction annually features jewelry, rare sports memorabilia, original artwork, and more provided by The Silent Auction Company and kicks off at 6:00 p.m. during the cocktail reception in the Graydon Hall Foyer.
SC is seeking contributions for the auction. Contributions may be made to the auction by contacting Kathy Wade Vlaar at [email protected] and will be accepted until Friday, February 5.
Standardbred Canada is also making a $5,000 contribution to the Classy Lane Fire Fund.