Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion

The Kindersley and District Arts Council’s (KDAC) 40th anniversary celebration will feature plenty of local talent.

Gladys McCarthy, a KDAC member and spokesperson for the event, said local talent of all kinds has been lined up for performances in the afternoon and evening on Sept. 30 at the Norman Ritchie Community Centre. The afternoon portion runs from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

She noted there’s another event going on in the afternoon at the Elks Hall, so people could come and stay at the KDAC event, attend the other event or try to make it out to both events. McCarthy said the afternoon portion of the event features local performers singing, dancing and playing instruments.

The arts council will serve coffee, juice and cupcakes in the afternoon. The evening performances start at 7:30 p.m., and the spokesperson said there will be a bar for people who attend the celebration in the evening.

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Admission to the evening performances is by donation – a silver collection will be taken at the door. The arts council will show a PowerPoint presentation featuring images of past performers and items from throughout the council’s 40-year history.

McCarthy said Melissa Hynd and Steve Mealey, two members of Blackberry Wine, will kick off the performances in the evening. Hynd and Mealey are both music teachers. The lineup will feature several other music teachers from the area.

She said the Keith Jamieson Band will headline the evening performances. She noted that Jamieson’s band could include a range of musicians from the area, but they are all talented and any version of the band will be good.

McCarthy said it’s nice to hold the event during Culture Days because it’s a cultural celebration and she’s looking forward to the big day.

“It’s a fun thing to think the arts council has been around in our town for so long,” she said, recognizing that the arts council had some rough years and a core group of people stuck with it to allow the organization to thrive again.

McCarthy said KDAC gets great support from its sponsors. The council’s 2017-18 Stars for Saskatchewan performing arts series starts on Oct. 21 with a concert by Laila Biali, who is an award-winning Canadian jazz singer and pianist.

McCarthy encourages people to join in the celebration on Saturday.

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© Kindersley Clarion