Musicians from across the foothills are coming to Okotoks this week to put people in the festive mood for the holidays.
The fourth annual Okotoks Acoustic Christmas Concert will be held over two nights on Dec. 15 and 16 at the Okotoks United Church.
“It really is a great opportunity to get into the Christmas Spirit,” said organizer and performer John Fraser.
Proceeds from the event go to the Okotoks Food Bank. Fraser said he hopes this year’s concert will surpass last year’s amount.
“Last year we were able to raise a fairly significant amount and this year we’re hoping to be able to give them more,” he said.
The concert will feature performances by the Travelling Mabels, the Hamiltone Trio, Paul Rumbolt, Darren Johnson, John and Caroline Fraser, Dwight Forseth, Tanya Ryan, Ed Sands, the June Bugs, the Finesses Trio, Jim Mclennan, Donica, Tim Buckley, Carolyn Harley and Steve Fisher with Cedric Blary, Eric Smistad and Ben Plotnick.
As well, a number of radio personalities are lending their time as masters of ceremonies on both nights, including Fisher, who hosts CKUA show Fire on the Mountain, and David Ward with CBC radio.
Fraser said the concert has grown over the last four years, both the audience and the line-up of performers.
“We have a real high quality to the performers,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is keep the quality quite high and I think we’ve succeeded in doing that.”
The event is also changing venues from the Anglican Church to the larger United Church this year, which can accommodate more people.
“We’re looking to raise money for charity so those extra 50 or 60 seats make a big difference,” said Fraser.
The annual acoustic concert is also a favourite for the performers.
Foothills singer-songwriter Paul Rumbolt has been a fixture at the concert since its inception.
“It’s always something I’ve always made the time to do,” said Rumbolt, who is scheduled to perform both nights.
For the musicians, he said it’s also a good opportunity to catch up with other performers from the area.
“We’re seldom together in the same place so it’s a great place to get together with other musicians and performers from around the area,” said Rumbolt. “Sometimes there are opportunities to play with them or just to be around them.”
Rumbolt has gained a following for his performances of “O Holy Night” and “Christmas in the Trenches”, both of which are on his set list for the concert.
“I get requests over and over through the years for them… they’re the kind of pieces that touch people’s hearts and gets them in the spirit of the season,” he said.
Rumbolt said Christmas is a great season for music.
Being a former United Church minister his favourite Christmas songs are traditional hymns. He also enjoys playing the standards that have become part of North American Christmas culture.
“The old Mel Tormé songs and Bing Crosby favourites,” he said.
Okotoks country music singer Tanya Ryan will be back for her third year performing at the concert mainly because it’s for a good cause and an opportunity to perform with the great local talent.
“I think it’s just grown, the first year did quite well, the second year did really well,” said Ryan. “Hopefully we can blow it out of the park this year.”
She said it’s a good showcase of musicians from the region.
“It’s really cool to see all the talent we have in the area,” said Ryan. “I’m a big advocate of local talent, anything that showcases what we have here is nice. We always think we have to go see Keith Urban, but we don’t, we can go see local performers and they’re just as awesome.”
Ryan plans on performing one of her favourites, “Blue Christmas” by Elvis.
She will also be performing an original number, “The Christmas Time Blues”, a song she only gets to play one month of the year.
Tickets are $15, plus one non-perishable item for the food bank, and are available at Music Centre Canada and Royal LePage Foothills. The Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the music starts at 7 p.m.
