The Bonnyville Opry finished off its 23rd season on a high note on April 9 during an evening filled with special guests, amazing musical accomplishments, and a few poignant goodbyes.
Twelve acts took to the stage, playing for a sold out audience at the Lyle Victor Albert Centre, with a mix of everything from rock, pop, current and classic country, and jazz.
Elvis (a.k.a. Walter Hrycauk) made a special guest appearance just before intermission, delighting the crowd with his passionate renditions of "Hound Dog" and "My Way."
Another highlight of the evening was Cold Lake's Rodney Larson, whose powerful performances of "Hallelujah" and "To Make You Feel My Love" impressed the crowd, and whose piano playing impressed fellow performer Art Larmand. Larmand performed last, and called Larson up to accompany him on piano, much to the delight of the audience.
After Larson's impromptu playing, Larson declared, "Now that's how you start a band!"
It was a bittersweet evening for the Opry as well.
Bonnyville's Brittany Cunningham performed for the last time. Her unforgettable performances of "I Told You So" and "Last Name" had many in the audience coming up afterwards to congratulate her. She credits karaoke, both in the shower and in the car, for her success. She plans to head to NAIT to study to become a paramedic.
"This was definitely my favourite performance," she said during the intermission. "It's a fun atmosphere ... I'll definitely miss it. I wish I had more time in my life to come back and sing. Every now and then hopefully I'll come back and they'll throw me on the roster."
The Opry also said goodbye to one of its legends and founding members, Claude Leblond, who died of cancer on March 31 at the age of 63.
During the show, performer John Banman, who was accompanied by Randy Padlesky and Rose Marie Cameron, dedicated "The Dream Never Dies" by the Cooper Brothers to Leblond.
"To me, he was very good at living what he preached," Banman said before the song. "He was inspirational in the community. He had dreams, like kids, grandkids, family, and to be happy."
After every season, the Opry presents the proceeds to a charity. This year, Glen Hrycauk and Bruce Saint presented a cheque for $1,000 to Celine Desfosses from Haying in the 30's Cancer Support Society, which raises funds to assist those in the area diagnosed with cancer.
