The second annual Memories of the War Years: a Musical Tribute to Veterans returns to Courtenay Recreation’s Florence Filberg Centre on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. The show is sponsored by the Evergreen Club.
The show combines many segments of the community: the military, the Royal Canadian Legion, the cadets, the Pathfinder Girls, and veterans.
Organizer Ken MacLeod is also known for organizing the Evergreen Club’s annual country music Sonshine Club fundraiser for the soup kitchen.
“The purpose of the show is to preserve the music of the war years and to honour the fallen as well as living veterans,” says MacLeod.
“A DVD of last year’s show was sent to the Second World War’s Sweetheart of the Forces, Dame Vera Lynn, age 97, who wrote a very nice thank you letter to the performers.”
This year’s show will feature a tribute to the 100th Anniversary of the First World War, while acknowledging the sacrifices of service personnel from the Comox Valley in the war.
The show will feature the laying of a wreath in a brief ceremony to honour those persons from the Comox Valley who gave their lives in the service of their country in the war ‘to end all wars.’
The music will be provided by a band made up of Kelly Thomas on keyboard, Al West on bass, Jake Maesri on trumpet, and Bill Street on drums, with a special performance from local renown soloist Jacqueline Lambeth.
Members of the Evergreen Choristers, with pianist Donna Bews, will fill out the program with lively marching songs and sentimental choruses of the war years.
The show will showcase tunes from the First and Second World Wars. All will be performed by a cast dressed in uniforms and costumes of the era. The show will also have a touch of musical comedy and heart-wrenching numbers that will stir your soul.
The show also features a colour party comprising the three local branches of the Royal Canadian Legion: Comox, Courtenay, and Cumberland.
Last year’s highlight included veterans, post-war and peace-keeping veterans, coming to the front of the hall to the singing of Vera Lynn’s We’ll Meet Again by cast and audience.
In addition to helping support local groups such as cadets and Pathfinders, proceeds of the show will go towards a much-needed new sound system for the Florence Filberg Centre.
Get your tickets early, because last year’s show was a sellout!
Tickets are $10 for adults; $5 for children under 16 and are available at the front desk of Courtenay Recreation’s Filberg office, 411 Anderton Ave. FMI call 250-338-1000.
Veterans of the Second World War and the Korean War will be admitted free (please call ahead for arrangements).