Boscombe Hall was near capacity on Saturday evening, holding its 20th anniversary Country Corral on Jan. 25. Guests enjoyed over 23 different performances, featuring the talent of musicians both local, and from further away, in other parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
In addition to the music, there was food served, and a draw for door prizes halfway through the evening. Later in the night, during the draws, Barry Sallstrom a volunteer with the hall, brought the event’s organizers onstage to personally thank them for their efforts in keeping the Country Corral going for the last two decades.
“There are people who have been here from the start,” Sallstrom said in a short speech to the crowd. “We want to give those people recognition.”
Organizer and emcee of the corral, Lois Bouchard was thankful for the recognition she received, and enthusiastic about how the night went, saying, “It’s an awesome crowd, and a good show, with a full house.”
Bouchard took to the stage herself at one point, to accompany fellow musician Ed Popowich, playing bass with Popowhich on the acoustic.
She added, “We’re just really pleased with the turnout tonight, and the weather. It’s a good night.”
“Right now, I’ve just finished my first time performing onstage,” said Wilfred Collins, a musician from Elizabeth Metis Settlement. “I was a little nervous, but I got rid of most of it in the first three songs.”
When asked how he felt he and his fellow performers did, Collins said that the reception was good. “We’re grateful to be here, especially on such short notice. There’s an added energy when you’re onstage and I think it’s important to know how to use that energy the right way to perform well.”
“It’s been going on for quite a while now,” said John Patterson, a performer from Cold Lake. “I’ve been going for quite a while myself, and enjoy it – that’s why I keep coming back.”
“We do keep coming back,” agreed Reg Stacey, a musician from Pierceland who accompanied Patterson in several duet performances, who also is fellow band member with Patterson in a five-piece band call Pushing 60. “The people who get this going are good people, and they run a good show.”
Stacey continued, saying, “Guy and Lois are gregarious, they make you feel welcome. I’ve been coming for the last five or six times, and have been coming to perform for about a year now. Everyone who comes out makes us feel welcome, in fact.”
