Music in the park

A yearly event

Each year there is music in the park throughout the summer months. It is held one evening each week, weather permitting. This year it was held on a Wednesday evening from 7pm till 9pm. Since I am new to Grand Forks I do not know if the day varies each year.

The first evening for music in the park this year was the first Wednesday after Canada Day (July 1st.) The last day was the Wednesday (August 30 this year) before Labour Day.

Unfortunately the weather was not good on the first day this year that music was to be in the park, and although a few people turned up for it, the musicians didn't. It isn't good to get instruments wet!

Local musicians play for the crowd. Some even come from Alberta (this year there were two youngsters from Alberta, one playing violin and the other, a thirteen year old, playing the bag-pipes) or from the USA (a couple came to sing and play to the crowd this year from the USA) or from the municipal camp site (we had a couple who were camping this year who played for the crowd ).

This year we had a variety of music including country, classical, blues, jazz, blue grass and gospel and a variety of artists, including the first week a children's story teller.

The last Wednesday's performers included a line dancing group who danced on stage to a variety of music, including one Russian tune. There was also a marvellous trio who played and sang to us. The last performer who played an electronic keyboard played in the dark with stage lighting, under the tent that had been put there because of rain earlier in the day. As it happened it rained for the last performer and some people moved to the shelter of the trees, others put their umbrellas up, and others chose to leave.

Each week people would come to the Park carrying their chairs or rugs to put on the ground. Some children played while the music was playing; deer strolled by the river some evenings; people got out of the river at the Park after tubing down it; cyclists came to use the BMX cycle track; others came to camp at the Municipal City park camp site.

Go to the Flood page to see photos of the City park in May when the river Kettle was very high and caused flooding

Go to the Deer page to see photos of the deer in the City park.

July 19 2007

We were at Music in the Park last night and again tonight. We have missed a few this year due to being in the wrong location (ie. in Vancouver instead of Grand Forks!) They usually start on the week of July 1st.

While we were in the park last night we heard that a cuban band would be playing at 8pm tonight so we went along to listen. The band is “Brisas del Palmer” and they were brilliant! They were dressed in black with red shirts. There are five of them altogether and they played a variety of Cuban music, some their own compositions.

They are currently touring in British Columbia and were at Castlegar last night. Some of their locations this coming month will be Kelowna, Christina Lake, Castlegar, Penticton, Vancouver, Trail and Kamloops.

If you are in any of those locations and you hear this group is playing I think they are well worth a visit!

The park this year has suffered storm damage from about a week ago. There are many trees down and a whole area has been cordoned off for the public’s safety. The grass is strewn with branches and leaves and some trees have already been removed, leaving just the stumps as evidence.

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