Fifty years ago, men often hid all their ‘treasures’ in a box tucked in a corner of their garage or sometimes even a barn.
But times have changed, and now, more and more men have specific rooms or other areas of their homes dedicated to showing off their collectibles, toys and stuff.
On Saturday, the city’s Man Cave Tour hits the road to raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orillia and District and celebrate these collections.
“It’s an arm’s-length event for us that’s really driven by a group of community-minded individuals,” said Big Brother Big Sisters of Orillia and District executive director James Maxwell.
Maxwell said the event serves to not only raise money (with a target of $10,000), but also awareness of the organization’s need for Big Brothers since about 15 boys are normally waiting at any time to be matched with an older, positive role model.
“Like our hockey tournament, it gives us a platform to a primarily male audience,” Maxwell said, noting his agency serves about 150 boys each year.
The tour started during a conversation between local businessman Mike Davenport and radio host Jack Latimer as they bandied about the concept of a man-cave tour while discussing a house-tour event.
Now in its third year, a volunteer committee chaired by lawyer Doug Downey plans the entire event and arranges for all of the locations, food and refreshments to support the cause.
“Doug Downey started to quarterback this thing,” Maxwell said, adding the event feels a bit like a pub crawl for guys, with hosts able to showcase their cars, boats and properties.
But there is an air of secrecy to the event, as none of the roughly half dozen man-cave locales are announced ahead of time. The mystery tour has food provided at each location and there are also brewery sponsors.
As well, KICX FM has donated its travel coach, so there will be no individual driving between locations. Casino Rama has come on board to sponsor the transportation.
Tickets are limited for Saturday’s tour and cost $150 each, with all proceeds going directly to the charity since there are no administrative costs.
For more information or to order tickets, visit mancavetour.ca.