Event Details

Inspired by our friend Eva.
Eva Markvoort spent her life with cystic fibrosis, and her mission was finding a cure.

Eva Markvoort is the inspiration that drives Lawn Summer Nights.
In December 2008, Duncan Gillespie, Andrew Dalik, and Graham Dalik were in Sydney, Australia with film director Philip Lyall where a casual game of ‘Barefoot Bowls’ was extremely popular. During an afternoon of beers and bowls, they collectively vowed to bring this fun experience back to Canada. They wanted to organize it as an event, as an opportunity to bring people together.
Philip had brought along a rough cut of 65_RedRoses, a documentary he was working on at the time. The powerful film told the story of Eva Markvoort, a young Vancouver woman living with cystic fibrosis (CF). The group returned from their memorable day of lawn bowling to watch the film later that night. The idea to create a lawn bowling fundraiser in support of Eva and others living with cystic fibrosis was hatched on the spot.
On October 23, 2007, Eva underwent a double lung transplant. Eva’s surgery was part of a historic night for the Vancouver General Hospital, as they performed a record-setting 10 transplants in a 24-hour period. With her new lungs, Eva was given a new lease on life and after her recovery, she endeavoured to make people more aware of CF by blogging publicly about her life. Eva’s blog resonated with people around the world, and she garnered a huge following of friends and supporters.
Whenever Eva found herself spending extended time in the hospital having difficulty with her lungs, she longed to be outside breathing fresh air, spending time with old friends and making new ones. This is exactly what lawn bowling enabled her to do, so it was with the utmost satisfaction that she could participate in our inaugural year of Lawn Summer Nights.
Not long after lawn bowling finished that first summer, Eva’s body suddenly began rejecting her new lungs and she was forced back into the hospital. Never one to give up, she battled against all odds to stay alive in the hopes of getting another transplant. Sadly, Eva passed away on March 27, 2010. She was only 25 years old.
Eva was a truly magical person, and her legacy is only the beginning. Inspired by her life, her struggle and her story, we’re carrying on from where Eva left off; endeavouring to accomplish what she cared for the most – enjoying life, and finding a cure for CF.
“Love, love, love everyone.”
– Eva Markvoort
Why your support matters
FAQ
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How does registration work?
Registration for Lawn Summer Nights 2023 opens on Wednesday May 3. To register, click on the “Register” tab in the navigation bar, select your city, and click “Register Now”.
Remember, only the team captain needs to register first – all other teammates can join the team once the team page has been created.
PRO TIP: Don’t spend too much time on your team name during registration – you can always change it later!
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Can I use a login from a previous year to register?
Since fundraising is only open during the bowling season we create a brand-new site each year, which means your old login details won’t work anymore. Don’t waste time trying to guess your old password, just create a new one! -
How many people can be on a team?
You need a minimum of four players to create a team. Most cities allow you to have 4 – 5 players per team. Whichever option you choose, that is how many players are allowed to bowl each night.
However, there is no limit to how many team members can join online. This means that if you have a large group of friends or co-workers who want to take turns attending each night. They can all join your team online and fundraise to help you reach your goal. This is especially helpful if you aren’t able to commit to all four nights.
If more than five team members want to attend one night, for example, you registered a team of five people and the sixth member wants to come for the final night, don’t worry; the additional teammate can purchase a social ticket and still attend!
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How do I invite my friends to join my team?
You can send your teammates a direct link from inside your Fundraising Hub (after you login). In left-hand navigation bar, click “Team”, and then “Recruit Team Members”. Customize the pre-generated recruitment email to invite your friends! -
Is LSN kid-friendly?
As much as we love kids, you must be of legal drinking age to attend a Lawn Summer Nights event.
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What is your refund policy?
A lot of planning goes into Lawn Summer Nights – planning that’s done by committees comprised entirely of volunteers. We hope that if you register for an LSN event, it’s because you have fully read the event details and are able to commit to attending the event in its entirety (or you have subs on speed dial!).
Life happens, and we try our best to be accommodating. If you request a refund 30 days before the first event night, we will authorize a refund of your team registration fee. There are no refunds available within 30 days of the first event night, as we need to confirm numbers for our liquor permits, beverage vendors and catering.
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Where does the money go?
Funds raised through Lawn Summer Nights contribute to the work being done by Cystic Fibrosis Canada to benefit local communities nationwide. Fundraising dollars are used to fund innovative cystic fibrosis (CF) research, improve access to life-changing and life-sustaining medicines, ensure the care and support the CF community needs is available, and overall, improve and lengthen lives.
For more information, please visit cysticfibrosis.ca.
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I made a donation online but have not received a tax receipt – help!
Thank you so much for supporting Lawn Summer Nights! Tax receipts for donations $20 or more are automatically emailed to donors. Sometimes they can slip into your spam folder, so make sure you check there.
If you still haven’t received it, email us at hello@lawnsummernights.com and we’ll help track it down. Remember – this does not apply to registration fees, as those fees do not qualify as donations.
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What does a typical LSN event look like?
After you check in at the registration table, you’re free to start mixing and mingling. Meet the teams you’re going up against, check the schedule to see what lane you’re on in round #1, grab a drink and take in the atmosphere. We promise it’s one you won’t forget!
You’ll play different teams each round, and some cities build in a social round where you can watch the other teams, strategize, and hit up the bar. You can also find raffles, silent auctions, additional lawn games, and much more! Most cities host an afterparty each week to keep the fun going even after the sun goes down, so make sure you’re following your city on social media to find out what they’ve got planned.
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What’s the dress code #onthegreens?
Our dress code can be best described as “leisure wear” – and we keep the term pretty loose. TBH, most teams wear coordinated outfits or costumes that match their team name. We’ve seen everything from dinosaur costumes (Jur-grassic Lawn) to tropical shirts (Tropical Punch Bowl) to Rolling Stone t-shirts (the Bowling Stones) – so the limit is pretty much your imagination.
That being said, we do have one rule: no heels allowed on the greens (that includes wedges and low-heeled dress shoes), so make sure you wear flat-soled shoes, or you’ll be bowling barefoot.
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What happens if one of my teammates can’t make it one night?
This is a great opportunity to introduce LSN to someone new! You’re allowed (and encouraged!) to have subs join your team online to help your team fundraise and to fill in for any team member that can’t bowl.
PRO TIP: Have your subs join your team online for a faster check-in process at the event!
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What happens if it rains?
While we try to persevere through a little drizzle, there’s nothing fun about bowling in a torrential downpour, so sometimes our events get postponed. If you aren’t sure about the weather in your city on event night, make sure you check out your city’s social media page – they’ll post an update about any weather delays.
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How can I get involved?
If you’re interested in helping execute an event, you can email your city directly or reach out to us at hello@lawnsummernights.com for more information on volunteering.
Do you work for or know a brand you think would be a great partner for us? Email Krista, our national manager, at krista@lawnsummernights.com.

What are people saying about us?
Everyone was there to have a good time and support a great cause. It was fun and meaningful.
It was a phenomenal experience. I got to make so many new friends while raising money and awareness for a really important charity.
Great cause and a ton of fun!