Gleichen Choir salutes Canada

Times Reporter         

 

Salute to Canada was the theme of the Gleichen and District Choir’s performances before full houses at the Strathmore and Rockyford United Churches April 25 and 27. 

The choir’s music director, Janet Bollinger, pulled together a variety of songs that took the audiences on a tour of this great land, from west to east. 

The evening began with a sing-a-long and old-time music provided by Carol McKay on the piano, Jeff Epp on guitar, Charles Watson on banjo and Al Peters on violin.

The choir kicked things off with featuring Ed Neufeld.

“I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” was sung along with “A National Dream” while re-enacting the Last Spike, marking the Nov. 7, 1885 completion of the national railroad.

Jeff Epp performed a moving rendition of “Four Strong Winds,” the song made famous by Ian and Sylvia Tyson and voted the best Canadian song of the 20th century.

Continuing with the prairie theme, the choir sang a song about the passing of the once ubiquitous grain elevators, “Prairie Sentinels” from the musical “Pull of the Land.” 

Moving eastward, the next stop was a song about the polar bears of Churchill, Man. to the tune of “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic.”

In this lighter vein, Laura Bakken and Alice Booth sang the Arrogant Worms’ song, “I Am Cow” complete with costumes.

The Quebec stop on the tour was “The Log Driver’s Waltz,” followed by an instrumental tribute to a Maritime maestro of the violin, Don Messer, by Peters, Epp, Watson and McKay. Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Michael Ell, noted that at one time Don Messer’s Saturday night TV program had a greater audience than the Ed Sullivan Show. 

Still on the east coast, the choir sang the song made famous by the Rankin Family, “We Rise Again” featuring Maren Everett as the soloist.

As no salute to Canada, let alone the east coast, would be complete without Anne of Green Gables, selections from the musical were performed by Katherine Holroyd-Leduc in Strathmore and Claire Webb in Rockyford. Geoff Smith played the role of Matthew in both shows.

The tour of the east was concluded with a rousing rendition of “It’s the B’y” featuring Gail Garvin on accordion with Margaret Watson and Alice Booth performing a step dance.

Then it was back west and north to the Yukon, as Michael Ell read Robert Service’s classic poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee.”

The well-known number covering the entire country, “Something to Sing About,” rounded out the performance.