The old Bonnyville Opry is getting a makeover. After much deliberation in recent months the Opry's board of directors decided to modernize the event and give it a facelift – now referring to the monthly musical meeting as “Bonnyville Live.”
The event has been a staple in the town for the past 25 years and Ryan Hunter, one of the organization's newest board members, said it was time to adjust and embrace the changes that have been occurring at Opry events over the past few years.
“The decision to change the name basically stems from the changes we've seen happening with the Opry over the past few years,” Hunter said. “The event was initially called the Opry because it was centered around country music, and more specifically old school Nashville country. But, as time went by we've noticed there aren't a lot of musicians into that anymore.”
He added, “The event has definitely evolved in the short time I've been involved as a performer and now director – people started bringing other things to the table and over time the concert eventually just got more accepting of a wider variety of music, so nowadays the word Opry doesn't really reflect what's happening at shows anymore.”
Hunter says it isn't uncommon to see regular performers break off into genres of music they personally enjoy or are interested in, such as rock, pop and even reggae. He noted that while times have changed and individuals are starting to branch out and perform a different type of music, the event would still hold onto a “very strong” country presence.
In recent years, the event has attracted a significant number of young, local performers to get involved, something Hunter says is “nice to see.”
“The Opry has really become an event for younger people to get involved in in recent years,” he said. “We have a lot of students regularly coming out to our shows, we have people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, so there's definitely a wide range of music. But it's the younger generation really taking an interest and broadening (our scope of music) that got us thinking (about changing the) name of the event.”
Hunter is hopeful that the name change and ongoing evolution of the event will generate some added interest from residents of the region.
“We're definitely hoping to generate a little more interest in the show with the change of the name. I think ‘Bonnyville Live' reflects the changes we've already seen here and the name is more reflective of the community as a whole,” Hunter said.
He added, “We're not looking to overhaul, not at all. We just want to bring a bit of a newer, diverse element to the show. Country has been an important part of the community for a long time and country does and will continue to have an important role in ‘Bonnyville Live', there's just not enough interest or musicians around anymore to put on a strictly country show regularly throughout the year.”
The organization held its first ‘Bonnyville Live' at the Lyle Victor Albert Centre this past weekend, with over a hundred local residents in attendance. Hunter said even though the organization is seeing record numbers of performers and people getting involved, they could always use more volunteers and musicians.
Bonnyville Live will run every second Saturday of the month. The next show is penciled in for March 8. Tickets can be bought for $7 in advance at Tellier's Value Drug Mart and the Bonnyville Liquor Store, or for $10 at the door.
