Arts festivals hailed a big success

Hundreds of arts enthusiasts tucked into a feast of culture at a series of major festivals.

Barrhead, Onoway, Sangudo and Westlock became centres of creativity during the Alberta Arts Days from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.

Painting, carving, clay modelling, poetry, music, dance and writing – a full range of artistry was on display.

Workshops were also on offer, allowing people a chance to explore their creative side.

Barrhead Arts Days committee co-ordinator Elaine Dickie said the festival had been a great showcase of local talent, attracting visitors of all ages.

“There was a tremendous energy about the event,” she said. “It was successful beyond our expectations. I think the artists got as much pleasure sharing their time with other artists as they did with talking to members of the public.”

Shelley Oswald, activities manager at Hillcrest Lodge, one of the venues for the festival, praised the community spirit.

“The support of the community was great,” she said. “The whole event went fabulously well.”

In Onoway, organizer Yvonne Slemko said the festival at the heritage centre was a first for the town and a good learning experience.

“It went very well. We have had many positive comments,” she said.

Slemko, chairperson of the Onoway Public Library Board, added the event benefited from coinciding with voting for Alberta’s new premier, which took place in the same building.

“Many people lingered to have a look at the art demonstrations,” she said. “This was an added bonus.”

Alberta Arts Days organizers in Sangudo were also delighted with the turnout to a series of artistic ventures on Friday and Saturday.

“It was a very successful event,” said Heather Thompson, secretary of the Sangudo Arts for Everyone Committee.

A musical evening at Sangudo Community School saw a packed house, with people enjoying all types of music, including country, classical and contemporary.

Barrhead’s three-day extravaganza kicked off on Friday at the BCHS Drama Theatre with a variety show of performing arts.

Colour, music and dancing kept the audience enthralled. Among the acts were the Icnimeh Dancers who captured the spirit and dynamism of Mexico.

“Their grand finale was a machete dance, which was extremely lively,” said Dickie.

Gospel music fans were given a treat by the Joyful Melody Trio, while the Footworks Dance Academy satisfied the tastes of ballet lovers.

There were also performances by the Barrhead Senior Versatiles, guitarist Walter Falk, the Xpressions Dance &Fitness Centre, Beat Busters and Just Dance Studio, which delighted hip hop enthusiasts.

One of the evening’s highlights was singer and pianist Dale Clark’s rendition of Sarah McLaughlin’s classic In The Arms Of An Angel.

“She is such a very talented lady,” said Dickie, pointing out that Clark was a regular performer at Barrhead’s Volunteer Appreciation Gala every April and in 2009 produced and directed “Seusical,” a musical theatre for children.

Dickie said the drama theatre had been “energized” by all the acts.

“There must have been about a 100 people in the theatre, of all ages,” she added.

Saturday saw a “Children Discover Art” day at Barrhead Public Library, featuring workshops run by guest artists, including: Ruth McCullough, painting with marbles; Leila Nadeau, clay sculpting; Rayma Peterson, African story cloths; and Kathleen Norton, wood carving.

Meanwhile, at Hillcrest Lodge there were writers workshops, covering such subjects as journals and memoirs.

The Barrhead festival climaxed with a night of poetry with wine and cheese at Hillcrest Lodge.

Poetry readers included Westlock Poetry Circle members Mabel Price, Berenice Mortimer, Dawn Rouncville, and Susanne von Rennenkampf; Women Word Weavers’ members Dorene Redshaw, Shirley Williams, Audrey Shield, Gayle Schneider, Sharon Espeseth and Susanne von Rennenkamp; and senior residents Mabel Elgersma and Gerda Degroot.

There were also displays of quilts, art and photography.

“I would say more than 100 people attended,” said Dickie, who added there were plans to repeat Alberta Arts Days next year.

In Onoway the arts events occurred on Saturday, Oct. 1. There were demonstrations and workshops on painting watercolours, digital photography, hip hop dancing, clay sculpting, flower arranging, quilting, leather working and cowboy poetry.

The Onoway high school band played during the day throughout the heritage centre.

“The event shows there is a lot of local talent out there, but there is not much waving of flags or jumping up and down about it,” Slemko said. “This event was a chance to show what we’ve got.”

She thanked the F.C.S.S. and town council for helping to fund the festival.

Sangudo’s extravaganza started on Sept. 30 with a singer/songwriter coffee house at the Golden Club.

About 60 people attended to hear six performers and groups from the area perform their songs, which ranged from folk to Irish melodies and pop. There was a silver collection at the door.

“We created a coffee house atmosphere,” said Thompson, one of the organizers.

The next day saw 16 artists exhibit their work – some even demonstrated their skills – at Sangudo Community School, including oil paintings, watercolours and acrylics. Stained glass and pottery were also on display.

“We had a classical guitarist playing while people came in to look around,” said Thompson. “We also laid on specialty teas, coffees, lattes and pastries.”

She added that volunteers made supper for artists and musicians.

Earlier, at the Pumpkin and Sunflower Contest Sangudo Agrena artists exhibited their creations from flowers, fruit and vegetables.

In the evening up to 175 people flocked to Sangudo Community School to listen to a five-piece band play music for all generations.