In hopes of exposing the community to some great music and give people a family activity for Thanksgiving weekend, the Okotoks United Church is hosting An Evening of Music on Oct. 8, featuring the Glenmore Temple Salvation Army Band and Choir.
The evening will also include performances from local groups such as the Okotoks Men’s Choir, Fess ’N’ Friends Ladies Accordion Band, the Okotoks Church Choir and the Community Band.
“We thought that people might enjoy a band concert because the Salvation Army Band is usually very good and it is a little bit different,” said the church’s music director, Pat Reader-Downey. “Their kind of performance is really well done.”
Local ensembles will join the Salvation Army Band and Choir for the opening and closing numbers. Reader-Downey has been leading the practices in anticipation for the concert and she said she expects them to be performed well.
Event organizer Jimmy Walker said the opening piece, “Joyful, joyful we adore thee,” will be quite dramatic.
Walker suggested the idea to Reader-Downey, as the church has the facilities to accommodate the performance and he was a part of the Salvation Army Band in Scotland as a “youngster,” he said.
“It should be a really good evening,” said Walker.
The evening will feature a mixture of music, not all gospel, with the accordion group performing five pieces as well.
“We think that it will be a little different presentation for people and a lot of fun and so we’re hoping people will come out and enjoy it,” said Reader-Downey, adding it can be a fun family activity for Thanksgiving weekend.
This is the first time the Salvation Army Band and Choir is coming to perform at the church, she said, adding the group is coming at no cost. There is no admission to the Oct. 8 concert, which runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., only a free will offering.
“We’re just happy to have people come and hear some really good music for an evening,” said Reader-Downey.
