Millennium Park is the place to be on May 17. The Creston Valley Blossom Festival is again staging a free concert featuring five of the area’s top musical acts. The show runs from 1-4 p.m.
Opening the show is Jackson Peters, a multitalented folk singer whose voice will astound you. She lives on Packing Shed Road, which fits nicely into this year’s Blossom Festival theme. If you have never heard her before you are in for quite a pleasant surprise; if you have heard her, you will enjoy her again as she never fails to amaze. This is her second appearance at the concert in the park.
What happens when you take a fan of western music out of Ontario and send him west? You get Bill “Slim” Young who entertained all over that province before arriving in Creston with his guitar and cowboy hat. If you like the old time country tunes, Slim won’t let you down. Slim made his Blossom Fest debut last year and is being welcomed back.
Colin Bunt, the man with the golden voice, has put together a three-piece group, including Bunt on vocals and guitar. Fiddler Zavalina Huscroft brings the energy to the group with drummer Gordon Baukham keeping everyone in sync and on time. Bunt has worked in the business for many decades and at one time toured with Buddy Knox and the Rhythm Orchids. Bunt has made several CDs and he will have some for sale following the concert. His style of music is called western swing, along the lines of the old Bob Willis band or today’s Asleep at the Wheel. This is their first appearance at the concert in the park.
Rhonda Barter is no stranger to the stages in the Creston area, appearing at the Wynndel Coffee House and performing in the Blossom Festival concert in the park since it began three years ago. She sings, plays fiddle and the piano. Musically, she is connected to her Cape Breton routes. She won’t disappoint.
One of the Creston Valley’s most popular groups has the unusual name of Peanut Butter and Jam. The band covers a wide range of music from Celtic, folk, pop and country. The group features the vocals of leader Bob Gollan, Julie Groot and Shirley Cameron. The newest member of the band is veteran guitar player and vocalist Ted Bryant, who used to play with the Kings of Kitchener. The group has a dynamic stage presence which explains their huge following. Whether at legion halls or coffee houses like Wynndel, this group goes the distance to please its listeners. This will be their third appearance at the Blossom Festival free concert in the park.
Bring your lawn chairs, a blanket or both and sit back and enjoy the sound of music in the park for three hours. A schedule of showtimes appears elsewhere in this issue.
—BY HUGH JOHNSTON