Loads of talent at first annual Sights & Sounds Arts & Music Festival
JUST A LITTLE HEAT – Despite a rainy start and finish to the first annual Sights & Sounds Arts & Music Festival, the weather on Saturday was just right as headliner Del Barber played ‘Just A Little Heat’ for the audience. Saturday wrapped up without any rain, before the downpour returned on Sunday.
DRUMMING RAIN AND SUNSHINE MIX – Above, Winnipeg’s incredible Japanese drumming group, Fubuki Daiko, helps set up the stage on Sunday afternoon as torrential rain pours off the big tent. “I think once folks realize the calibre of entertainment we are bringing to Killarney and the area, we will see a pretty big increase in attendance next year,” said Jane Ireland. “Harvest Moon had torrential rains for their first year as well, and I think that bodes well for us for 2022.”
RAINY KICK OFF – Becky Lou kicked off the festival entertainment on a rainy Friday night under the tent.
WHISKEY KNOWS – Desiree Dorion (above) belts out ‘Whiskey Knows’ at the final show on Friday night. Singer/songwriter Kristen Mckay (below) preceded her.
AL SIMMONS TO THE RESCUE – The ever-entertaining Al Simmons tours the festival grounds at Heritage Home for the Arts with his horse on Saturday afternoon. Saturday was the only rain-free day for the festival, which boasted an abundance of talent, including the festival’s MC, Al Simmons, who also took to the stage (below) for a harmonica solo with Saturday headliner Del Barber.
JONNY MOONBEAM – From left: Kenzie Jane (A.K.A. Mackie) and Courtney Devon Krebsbach join jonny moonbeam as they kick off the Saturday performances.
MONDAY TO FRIDAY IDIOTS – From left: Rafael Reyes, Joe Stover, and Killarney’s own Tim Friesen of the Monday to Friday Idiots perform Saturday.
ARTS AND MUSIC AT THE HERITAGE HOME – Attendance may have been stymied by torrential rain last weekend for the first annual Sights and Sounds Arts and Music Festival held on the grounds of the Heritage Home for the Arts, but the quality of performers was stellar. Above: Al Simmons plays the banjo, with sound effects from a willing audience member, while budding artists quickly paint up a portrait on Sunday afternoon just before Fubuki Daiko took the stage. “Our audiences may have been small this year, but they were mighty,” said Jane Ireland, arts administrator and festival organizer. “The performers all commented on how amazing it was to play to a smaller audience; more intimate, and certainly just as appreciative, if not more, as a larger audience.”
BLIZZARD DRUMS – Fubuki Daiko, Japanese for ‘Blizzard Drums,’ took the stage on Sunday afternoon for an electrifying show of Taiko drumming. The Winnipeg-based band was stunningly powerful, despite having not performed in public for 1.5 years due to COVID-19 restrictions. From left they are: Hiroshi Koshiyama, Giselle Mak, Naomi Guilbert, and Bruce Robertson. Hiroshi (below) performs a Lion Dance, even “biting” some members of the audience for good luck.
JAY STRUTH/KILLARNEY GUIDE PHOTOS
KIM LANGEN/KILLARNEY GUIDE PHOTOS
CLOSING OUT THE CONCERTS – Country folk singer Lucien Spence capped off the concerts Sunday night.