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Bonnyville Opry kicks off new season

After a summer hiatus, the Bonnyville Opry was back on Saturday night, showcasing local music under the direction of Rose-Marie Cameron, new Opry president.
Opry veteran Randy Padleski performs some of the songs he perfected this summer around a campfire.
Opry veteran Randy Padleski performs some of the songs he perfected this summer around a campfire.

After a summer hiatus, the Bonnyville Opry was back on Saturday night, showcasing local music under the direction of Rose-Marie Cameron, new Opry president.

"I promise you it's going to be an awesome show tonight," she said at the beginning of the season's inaugural performance, and the show did not disappoint.

"I could not sleep last night, it was so exciting," she added. "We have new people coming. They're coming out of the woodwork. I don't know where they're coming from. There are a lot of young people and I'm so excited."

Gene Sobolewski, board member and newly-appointed sound tech, opened the show with some country classics while strumming his acoustic guitar before Catherine Laquerre, lead singer for IMPACT!, took the stage, impressing the audience with a jazzy rendition of Michael Bublé's "You Know How I Feel."

Mathilda Morrison-Furger, a popular figure on the Opry stage, performed solo after her partner fell sick, impressing the audience with haunting a cappella vocals.

Avery Cardinal and Kevan Vachon, were up next, beginning what would become a trend of young singers singing songs about girls.

Despite feeling the effects of the heat and an out-of-tune guitar, they impressed the audience before Vachon took the stage by himself and sat behind the piano.

"I can't play with shoes on," he confessed sheepishly, kicking his shoes away, before launching into an impassioned rendition of James Morrison's "You Make It Real," a performance that had members of the audience talking during halftime and after the show.

Tragedy nearly arose when he turned to leave the stage in only his socks, but was thankfully avoided when a helpful audience member shouted, "Don't forget your shoes!"

After their set, Cardinal and Vachon gathered with friends outside the venue to discuss their performance, the formation their band called Wolves on Main, and upcoming show at The Wetlander on October 8.

After Vachon's performance, Cameron returned to the stage.

"It just blows me away, the talent that's in this room right now," she said, before introducing the next performer, Jordan Antoniuk, who played instrumental versions of popular songs on the piano. He was joined by cousin Alex Thomson on vocals.

Popular performer and crowd favourite Randy Padleski started the second half of the show, singing a selection of original songs and covers, accompanying himself on guitar, harmonica, and foot drum.

After that Kyle Bercier took the stage to continue the trend of songs about broken hearts and girls, claiming, "I never really made a title for this, it's just another stupid song about a girl."

Accompanied by Cardinal, Bercier won the crowd over, and they didn't seem to mind the lack of title or the subject matter.

The 3 Chord Kings ended the evening.

The band, made up of local teachers, features lead singer Travis Symon, David Ripkens on guitar, Michael Straile on bass, and Dustin Blake on drums. They performed a few original songs before launching into a rendition of the classic Ben E. King tune "Stand By Me."

Before they could, however, Straile announced he, like Vachon earlier, could not play the song with his shoes on, and after the song was over, while he struggled to put them back on, Ripkens tossed a large, multicoloured towel into the crowd.

All performers were then invited back to the stage to sing a final song together.

"It was a fantastic evening," Cameron said, as volunteers helped pack up the equipment after the show.

"There was lots of variety, we had all different kinds of music, all different kinds of people, all ages, and all styles. I think that's what makes the Opry so interesting. Variety is the spice of life."

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