Doors were supposed to open at 5pm for the Great Canadian Barn Dance in Chestermere on April 21st, but eager ticket holders were lined up by 4:30pm to find their seats and peruse the raffle and auction by the Chestermere Whitecappers and Chestermere Historical Foundation www.chestermerehistory.org After a good old roast beef supper, the fun and much awaited show started at 7:30 pm. The Kunkel seniors, Larry and Lloyd, Lloyd’s son Trevor and Candy and their sons Rylan and Ronan kicked off the evening with two tributes, first to Ian Tyson with some sing along favourites and then the Beatles. A mix of old time and modern music had the assembled up on the dance floor early, and the crowd was pleased to hear Larry do his superb solo guitar rendition of Skip to My Lou. But the biggest crowd noise was held for Rylan (21yrs) and his fast paced keyboard version of Fur Elise and Bumble Boogie–a request from those who were wowed last year with this young man’s talent. And to give young Ronan (14yrs) his due, his violin bow was a blur as he played Orange Blossom Special to clapping and foot stomping.
The Chestermere Historical Foundation will use funds raised to restore the 1952 former Chestermere Cabin Owners fire truck, the Whitecappers (235-2117) to continue their +50 programming, and the Lion’s Club ( gailmarie@telus.net 272-6465) for the many and varied projects which get their valuable support in Chestermere. Lloyd Kunkel’s reminiscing on stage with his pal Ron McKinnon who was celebrating his 80th birthday, old familiar tunes, and the band joking with the crowd, transported us all back to when Lloyd’s enthusiasm and music got dancers raising dust off the old Chestermere hall floor back in the 70s. Find out more about what the Kunkels are up to with their 100 year old barn at www.gcbd.ca
