Alberta Culture Days brings variety to Cultural Centre


Morinville resident Travis Switzer plays bass with his group The Jesse Peters Trio Friday night. The jazz group was the first act of the Alberta Culture Days weekend and the first performance in the Morinville Community Cultural Centre’s 202/2013 performance season. – Stephen Dafoe Photo

Photos by Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – A mixture of jazz, metal, rock, dance, and fine art mixed it up at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre this past weekend during Alberta Culture Days.

Friday night kicked the weekend off with a performance from the Jesse Peters Trio. Pianist and vocalist Peters was joined by drummer Matthew Atkins and bass player Travis Switzer, the latter a resident of Morinville, to deliver a 90-minute high-energy show that combined jazz, pop and soul. Mixing original numbers from the group’s new album Face Time with jazzy covers of Sting, Billy Joel, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, the Jesse Peters Trio thoroughly entertained the approximately 35 concert goers who made it out to the Friday night show.

Saturday’s improvisation workshop with a member of Edmonton’s Rapid Fire Theatre was cancelled due to lack of turnout; however, the afternoon’s performance of Princess and the Pea by Kaybridge Puppets entertained the approximate 70 children and their families that came out to the Servus Credit Union-sponsored event.

Fine art, fine wine and fine company was the order of the evening Saturday night. The Celebrating Life and Culture gala, in aid of the Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation, drew approximately 100 art and wine loves and raised approximately $10,000 for the foundation. As always, the art show assists the hospital foundation in buying new equipment for the Sturgeon Hospital and assists local artists by affording them an opportunity to display and sell their art.

Event Chair Noreen Radford said she was pleased with “This is truly such a fantastic event,” she said Saturday night, adding she was proud of the artists and the community that came out to support them and the Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation.

Sunday afternoon opened the cultural centre’s giant stage to some homegrown talent. Fret 17 Productions put together an open stage performance that ran four hours with diverse number acts.

Performers included Elvis tribute artist Rick Johnsen, Paul Smith, Justin Hogg, Edgore, the Morinville Minstrels and numerous dancers from Dance Connection.

JESSE PETERS TRIO


Jess Peters hits some high notes during his encore number Friday night.


Drummer Matthew Atkins plays the cajon.

KAYBRIDGE PUPPETS


Kaybridge Puppets took to the stage Saturday afternoon to perform The Princess and the Pea.

CELEBRATING LIFE AND CULTURE


A woman admires some of the art on display at the Celebrating Life and Art Gala held Saturday night in support of the Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation.


Artist Mona Bouchard admires Clemons & the Boss, an acrylic on canvas painting by Melissa Mathieson.

FRET 17 ON STAGE


Elvis tribute artist Rick Johnsen performs in full kingly regalia.


Dance connection shows off some of their best moves.

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