Resin your bows.
The 10th annual Fiddle Fest will be held April 16 at the Merville Hall in sunny, downtown Merville.
Due to ongoing renovations at the hall, this will be a modified version of our annual event, yet all the excitement is still there and we look forward to some great music and dancing.
This year’s Fiddle Fest will feature three parts: a Fiddlers’ Showcase; a Fiddle Jam and Contra Dance Workshop; and an Evening Community Contra Dance.
At 4 p.m., all ages and levels of fiddlers are invited to sign up for the Fiddlers’ Showcase. This is an opportunity for fiddlers to choose some music they have been working on and perform it for a small, appreciative audience. It is also a time for fun, so one can learn a duet with a friend, figure out a jazzy trick and even wear a costume.
Maybe you’ll see two people playing one fiddle; playing a fiddle while hula hooping; or playing backwards. Anything goes at Fiddle Fest!
The stage will be ready for backup musicians and a microphone will be set up and adjusted for each performer. We are expecting to have a phalanx of fiddlers, from six to 96, with talent aplenty! Entrance is by donation. To be guaranteed a spot, sign up by April 12 by contacting Julie Fox at 250-337-5205 or foxtrot5@shaw.ca.
At 5:30 p.m. next Saturday, enjoy an indoor picnic supper! Bring a picnic treat to eat, your favourite checkered table cloth and relax with fiddlers and friends. Drinks and snacks will be available at the canteen.
At 6:30 p.m., a fiddle jam session will be followed by a Contra Dance Workshop with the coruscating June Cannon.
The evening Community Contra Dance begins at 7:30 p.m. and the dance will whirl on until the patrons are pooped. All Contra dances are taught on the spot and no experience is necessary.
All are welcome and the cost is only $10 (youth $5). There will also be lots of waltzes, polkas and two steps between the Contra dances.
— Fiddlejam