Looking for games, music, and family entertainment? Onoway will have plenty of that this weekend.
The third annual FLY’s MusiXtravaganza is taking over the Onoway Junior Senior High School Saturday, June 14.
The fun begins at 11 a.m. and will run until 5:30 p.m. The entry cost is $20 per person, with kids age five and under free.
The day offers a wide array of activities for children, ranging from three bouncy castles donated by Camp Nakamun, to face painting, to a concession.
And of course, there’s the musical entertainment.
The festival, which was successfully held in Rich Valley last year, has an impressive lineup of musicians planned for the day.
Organizer Connie Lefebvre said there will be a little bit of everything when it comes to the entertainment, which she hopes will introduce youth to the wide world of music.
“It’s quite a smorgasbord and that’s kind of the idea,” she said. “To let the kids sort of see what there is for music.”
The spotlight will shine on everything from a steel drum band, to a large swing band group, to a local Irish band. Lefebvre, a singer songwriter herself, will be performing as well.
“I do country folk and get the audience to participate quite a bit,” she said. “It’s kind of a feel good, interactive set of music for all ages.”
Lefebvre said she has found some really good talent among the youth this year, including a band called First Rebellion. All members, one from Rich Valley and the others from Alberta Beach, are all under the age of 16.
“I’ve been working with them for about a year. They play like adults but have the energy of teens,” said Lefebvre. “They are really kind of up and coming.”
Barrhead’s own Jorie Wilson, a 14-year-old singer songwriter Lefebvre has been working with for about four years, will be sharing her talent at the festival too.
Additionally, the youngster is releasing her first single “Drift” and will have one-song CDs available in Onoway.
“She is really good. Her music is excellent,” said Lefebvre. “She’s quite dedicated and I’m just amazed at what she can do.”
Workshops, which are included in the entry cost, will be running the Onoway school simultaneously.
There will be workshops for drums, base, guitar and vocals. Lefebvre will be heading the vocals workshop, where she will share a little bit about the mechanics of singing.
Kelly Kruse, also from the Barrhead area, will be running the drumming workshop. He was voted best drummer of the year by the Calgary Blues Association in 2012.
Lefebvre said the guitar player, who is coming from Red Deer, happens to be the best guitar player she knows: her brother.
“He’s a self-taught musician and has a very unique style of playing,” she said.
The base player has a huge resume, said Lefebvre, which includes writing the theme for CBC’s Radioactive show, and work for TV shows like The Simpsons and Star Trek Voyager.
He also has a tuba degree, and a composition degree.
“These are very professional people,” said Lefebvre. “All of these musicians except the guitarist have played internationally, including myself.”
Unfortunately the evening portion of the festival, which included dinner and a concert featuring 100 Mile House, has been cancelled.
All money raised at the festival goes towards children’s music programs and scholarships in the area, particularly for the FLY group at Dunstable School. Last year the event brought in $4,600.
There are 13 students in the Dunstable group that Lefebvre teaches music to. The festival got its start when she decided to hold a penny drive to raise money for the program.
“My child is actually at this school. I thought we needed a music program so I created one, and they are funded by this,” said Lefebvre. “This year we were able to send those kids on a couple of bus trips.”
Lefebvre said she knows the schools are doing the best they can with what they have, however with constant cutbacks in all departments the musical aspect of a child’s education can suffer.
“They don’t have money for the music programs and it’s not their fault, but they’re needed,” said Lefebvre. “It’s essential to these kids’ development, so we’re going to make it happen.”
Tickets will be available at the gate, but can also be purchased in advance. Call Connie at 780-674-8075.
