Shaunavon Arts Council wraps up concert season in style

The Shaunavon Arts Council wrapped up another successful season with an entertaining, foot-stomping show at the Plaza Theatre on Tuesday night.

Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys, an award-winning group from Prince Edward Island, played their old-time roots music to an appreciative crowd.

The high energy show, which saw the band display their incredible musical talents, was highlighted by MacKeeman’s extraordinary fiddle playing.

There was another unique feature of Tuesday’s show as the Arts Council teamed up with a local restaurant.

The Harvest Eatery offered concert goers a nice selection of hors d’œuvres and refreshments (beer and wine) before the show and during the intermission.

The evening concluded with a standing ovation and an encore performance by the visiting musicians.

Tuesday’s show capped off an Arts Council concert season that also included a one-man comedy show by British born comedian Chris Gibbs, October 29, 2013 who playfully explored fears, worries and surprises of being a new father in “Like Father, Like Son? Sorry.”

Country Music performer JJ Voss performed in November and the Vancouver string trio Infinitus made an appearance in Shaunavon in March.

The Arts Council also made arrangements to bring the Royal Winnipeg Ballet school to Shaunavon for a performance last fall.

“Tuesday’s concert was a great end to a great season,” said Arts Council president Terry Shields. “We had four quality performances for our season (Gibbs, Voss, Infinitus, and Gordie MacKeeman), as well as the rare opportunity to present a performance by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet school last November.”

“We met our ticket sales target for the season and had good support from the community through corporate sponsorships and personal donations,” he added. “We continue to focus on bringing the best performers that we can find to the Southwest.  Next season will include a fantastic four performance concert series.”

Next year’s lineup will feature  Barney Bentall (September 27th), Feung Chou piano duo (November 5th), Megan Nash “Mid-Winter Blues Party” (January 23rd) and Country group “Pear” (March 14th).

In addition to those concerts, the Arts Council has also scheduled a special show with Jimmy Rankin on Thursday April 9th.

Shields also said the Arts Council will be having their annual meeting in early June. They welcome any new members interested in finding out more about the Arts Council and helping them to plan our upcoming performances.

Anyone interested in joining the council, or wants to learn more about the organization, can contact Terry Shields at 297-4137 for more details.

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