If you think this looks a bit out of place outside an Italian restaurant in downtown Toronto, I can recommend going into said restaurant…you ain’t seen nothing yet. :P

Following the final department heads meeting on Sunday morning, I made my rounds of checking in on staff before helping to manage Dealers’ Den entry with  panzier , after which I ran a few staff errands and then headed to The Firkin Pub for lunch. Their curry, while not the kind of curry you’d get in a British pub, was rather tasty. I then headed back to the con space, where I learned that the charity auction was in huge need of help, so I high-tailed my way there to make myself useful. Things were just a tad chaotic there, as we tried to sort and number the donated items as they ere being auctioned off. Thankfully, almost everything went smoothly, and everybody did their best with the hand they were dealt. Due to the sheer number of items donated, the auction ran almost completely into the time allotted for the closing ceremony, which Scani and Aaeden did a fine job of keeping short and sweet. It was fantastic to hear that we had very nearly matched the 2019 attendance numbers, and that the amount donated to this year’s charity was the most ever donated in FE’s history. We were also given a preview of next year’s theme – “Tales from the Tavern” – which has me wondering whether therein lies an opportunity to bring over some uniquely British booze… ;)

The charity auction wind-up continued after the end of the closing ceremony, which I helped with for about quarter of an hour before I needed to dash off to a group dinner, with the group composed of Matthias, Fulminar,  dan_raccoon , Heather, Sandy, Xenotropos, among others. The setting for this group dinner was a restaurant called the Old Spaghetti Factory, which was an absolutely fascinating place. We sat at a 10-person table in the middle of a carousel inside the restaurant, with an old tram carriage off to my left, and so much vintage décor. The food was fantastic, including a garlic butter that came with the bread (and I don’t even like garlic!), and I feel confident in saying that a grand time was had by all! After slowly making our way back to the Westin, Matthias, Fulminar, and I headed back to the room, where we proceeded to chat and snack for a few hours before turning out the lights.

Hope you enjoy!