A few of Times columnist Jim McGregor's closest friends got together to take a few jabs at him in public Saturday night.
The occasion was the Caring Hearts gala fundraiser for Langley Lodge which featured the McGregor roast at the Cascades convention centre.
Before it could begin, someone asked if there was a doctor in the house.
It wasn't a joke. A woman, one of the audience members, had begun choking.
McGregor, a retired fire chief and two firefighters who have medical training headed for the hallway outside the ballroom at the cascades convention centre, but their services were not needed.
The woman had managed to clear the obstruction without help.
Asked about the incident after the event, the response was classic McGregor.
"I never put my hands on any woman, if that's what you're asking," he said.
One woman did put her hands on McGregor, several times, as celebrity impersonator Tracy Bell worked through a repertoire that included impressions of Dolly Parton, Celine Dion, Cher and Janis Joplin.
One of the first roasters of the evening, Township mayor Jack Froese, sent a video that showed him grumbling about having to take time from his busy schedule to tape it, then expressed a wish that McGregor be "well roasted."
It was more like a medium rare roast, with family-friendly jokes about his collection of well-aged jokes and his career as fire chief.
"The only reason he became a fire chief, was because he had a captive audience (for his jokes)," said Bruce Kilby, a paid-on-call captain with Langley Fire Rescue.
"They say behind every comedian there is a sad man," Kilby added. "Jim, there’s over 40 at the hall."
Langley MLA Mary Polak dusted off several classic jokes herself, introducing one poetic bit as "cute like me, and old like Jim."
McGregor's younger brother Ken did a bit about defending his sibling.
"Earlier tonight I was talking to Peter Luongo, there, and he said to me, ‘You know, I don't why we're having a dinner for Jim tonight, the guy is so arrogant and obnoxious.' Well, that's my brother he's talking about. (So) I got right in his face and said, 'listen, Jim is not arrogant and obnoxious. He is just the opposite. He is obnoxious and arrogant.' I got your back, bro.”
Cathy Gibbs, Polak's constituency assistant, also went with classic humor for the occasion.
"Not everything he writes is good," Gibbs said. "I should know, I tried to cash one of his cheques.
Lynn Whitehouse, the former executive director of the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce told a number of true stories, including one about the time the fire department under McGregor was hosing down spectators at a parade and she got soaked with a makeup-melting blast.
But while McGregor could be a "pain in the neck" about things like fireworks, Whitehouse said he did it out of a sincere concern over safety.
She went for an upbeat closer that echoed McGregor's signature sign-off.
"I will just say that my life is better because of you, and thats what Whitehouse says."
As is traditional, the roastee was given the final word to retaliate.
Among other things, McGregor mentioned that he and Kilby had worked together on many of the biggest fires in Langley and the two facts might be connected.
"I thought, the guy's a jinx."
McGregor got in a gentle dig at the former chamber president, saying when he worked there, if someone asked him to back up his claims about the membership benefits, he would say "I got it from a reliable Whitehouse source."