Les Dunford The Westlock Merrymakers were hosts to the 2024 Choir Festival of four area choir groups who entertain at various functions throughout the year.
The Westlock Merrymakers were hosts to the 2024 Choir Festival of four area choir groups who entertain at various functions throughout the year. The Festival this year was held at the Westlock Memorial Hall the afternoon of May 10, and provided some excellent singing entertainment for a full-house crowd, who obviously enjoyed the afternoon of music and the talent these groups provided. Most of the songs were familiar with many of the audience, and many could be seen quietly singing along with each group.
Including the Westlock Merrymakers, the three other groups participating in this year’s Festival included the Barrhead Versatiles, Morinville Minstrels and Bonnyville Tuneagers.
The Choir Festival rotates from the home town of one group to the home town of another, and held in early May. Last year, the Festival was held in Bonnyville, and next year, it will be in Barrhead.
As well as hosting this year’s Festival, it was a special year for the Westlock Merrymakers, who are also celebrating 30 years as a singing group. The late Mary Stimson and her daughter, Iris Humble, founded the Westlock choir in September, 1993. The group wears red and black, and their goal is to bring joy, smiles, and rekindle memories for residents of care centers and the lodges through sharing music. Once or twice a week from September to May, 15 to 30 Merrymakers volunteer their time to sing at a senior facility in Westlock, or in nearby communities such as Thorhild, Legal, Barrhead, Smoky Lake, St. Albert and Villeneuve.
Over those 30 years, Evelyn Calkins of Westlock has directed and somehow simultaneously provided piano accompaniment for the group. In a release, it was noted, “Through courage and determination, she recovered from injuries to her hands to regain the strength and skill needed to play piano accompaniment again. Her grateful choir members acknowledge Evelyn’s dedication to searching for and selecting music to build a repertoire of over 100 songs from various eras and seasons while keeping in mind the the audiences as well as the capabilities of her ladies.
In recognition of the many hours devoted to driving, practising and singing at various locations, any former members are invited to attend the Merrymakers 30th Anniversary Festival celebration, and those ladies who are now deceased will be honoured with a display.” And this was indeed a promise kept.
Currently, only a few members who began with the Merrymakers 30 years ago continue to sing with the group.
One of the numbers sang by the Bonnyville Tuneagers was the classic “Thank You for the Music,” and the crowd and choir members attending would certainly felt their own personal thank you for the music with their applause to each choir’s contribution to this year’s 2024 Choir Festival.