Carol Festival showcases local talent
December 2, 2017, 11:09 am
Kara Kinna
The Moosomin and District Carol Festival is a long-time annual tradition in Moosomin as a way to kick off the Christmas season by showcasing and sharing local musical talent.
The Carol Festival is held the first Sunday in December each year, and is coming up this weekend, on Sunday, Dec. 3 at the Bethel United Church. There will be two shows—an afternoon show at 2 pm and an evening show at 7 pm. Each show will be between and hour and a hour and a half, and will consist of around 15 performances each.
Performances range from soloists, to small groups of musicians, to instrumental performances, to entire choirs.
Rene Whelpton, one of the organizers of this year’s festival, says they are excited to have some new talent this year, while some previous performers will be returning as well.
“We’re definitely calling all the former performers and asking if they’d like to do it again, as well as anyone else new who has come to mind,” she says. “We are trying to expand the list of performers to new people because there are so many new families in town, and there is a lot more new talent, and I think we are getting some of those people to come out.”
While some years feature lots of performances by choirs, this year Whelpton says there will be more individual performers and small groups.
She says anyone is welcome to perform. “The carol festival is open to anything musical. Anything in the musical realm is very welcome,” she says.
“I’ve talked to new people in town and have been told ‘sure, that’s a great idea, we will do that!’ We will have some new performers this year.”
Why go to the Carol Festival?
“It gets you in the Christmas mood,” says Whelpton. “It’s a nice way to meet people from other social circles that you don’t normally run into, and it’s a great community event just to feel the togetherness and get in the Christmas mood. “And it’s a way to realize that we have a lot of talent in this town—a lot of good talent. It’s a way to encourage each other by listening to it and cheering each other on, and being able to enjoy the good talent.
“It’s a small town feel. You just feel like we’re one big happy family when we work together at something like this. “We can smile and say ‘Merry Christmas.’ We can slow down and relax as we listen to good music. We can smile as we watch little ones perform and encourage them in their pursuit of music and performing. We can be grateful for those who have a long history of music and performing as they share with us. We can be grateful that we have this talent in our community.
“We can be thankful for our many blessings and give of our plenty at the food donation table and offering to share with those who don’t have as much.”
The festival also does double duty as a way to raise money for the Moosomin and Rocanville Food Banks. People can bring a non-perishable food item to the performances. They can also donate money. An offering will be taken during the performance and all proceeds raised will be donated to the two food banks. The committee that organizes the carol festival each year is usually comprised of two members from the hosting church and two members from the next year’s hosting church.
Whelpton says the local churches are the venue for the event, but stresses the Carol Festival is not a church event, it is a community event.
“The churches are just the venue, so anyone who has an interest in getting involved should contact any committee member and we will give you a job,” she says. “You do not have to attend the hosting church to be involved in this great community event!
Next year the Carol Festival will be held at the Baptist Church.
“If you would like to perform please give us a call as soon as possible!” says Whelpton.
Those looking to perform can contact:
Kerry Coleman (306-435-7885) or Rene Whelpton (306-434-7730).
