L’ ACFA régionale de Lethbridge/ Medicine Hat French Canadian Centre is excited about bringing in Winnipeg based roots/ old time music quartet Oh My Darling to help celebrate St.-Jean Baptiste Day, June 21.
Except the annual event won’t actually be at the Centre, it will be at Pavan Park (110-62 Avenue North).
“ This year it will be different,” said Kate Gilbert, Executive Director of the Centre.
“Instead of having a lot of bands we’re just having one,” she said adding there is no cover charge for the event.
“We’re very excited we picked Oh My Darling. They just released their first Francophone CD,” she enthused adding she hope by moving the event into the community, it will attract more anglophone participants.
In addition to the music, there will be a lot of activities to celebrate St. Jean Baptiste Day, which is Quebec’s own version of Canada Day celebrations.
There will be a barbecue and activities for children including face painting and a bouncy castle.
They are also working on a zumba dancing demonstration from Danielle Low and her class, which she teaches twice a week at the Centre, located next to école La Vérendrye ( 2104 6th Avenue South).
And because the Centre likes to incorporate the school into St. Jean Baptiste Day Activities, they will also be including graduations ceremonies for their kindergarten and Grade 6 classes.
“We hope to get more people out this year,” Gilbert continued.
“ I think the band will be the biggest attraction,” she said, adding she has never seen Oh My Darling before, but is excited about it.
“There’s four girls on stage. I heard they’re fantastic,” she said.
Oh My Darling have played here often, but haven’t played a St. Jean-Baptiste Day celebration before.
“I don't think we have ever played one,” said vocalist/ guitarist Vanessa Kuzina.
“ We just released our first Francophone CD, ‘Venez Danser’ which means Let’s Go Dancing. We’ve always had one French song on each of our CDs and our bass player Marie-Josée Dandeneau grew up in the French quarter of Winnipeg,” Kuzina continued adding they waill also be playing some of their English songs as well.
“ But we also have a French audience. So I think that’s part of why we made this CD a French release,” she said.
It’s nice to give back to the Francophone community and create a community,” she said.
They released the French CD in Quebec in the fall and the rest of Canada in January.
“Our goal is to share our culture with the community, so if we can do that with a really good band, it’s good for us and the community. We hope there will be a lot of young families, so it won’t be too late,” Gilbert said.
“ Most French communities celebrate St. Jean Baptiste Day on Canada Day, but we wanted to have it on a Friday to get more people out,” she said.
The event begins at 5 p.m., with Oh My Darling taking the stage at 6 p.m. There is no charge to attend.
