Shakin’ the shingles
Lots going on in historic St. Mary’s this weekend
The 10th anniversary of the P.E.I. Mutual Festival of Small Halls will kick off with the “Shakin’ the Shingles” opening concert on Sunday at St. Mary’s in Indian River, with Irish Mythen, the Atlantic String Machine, storytellers, Gary Evens and Dennis King and more.
The Indian River Festival season starts with a weekend loaded with entertainment and special events including an open house this Friday afternoon and then kicking off the 10th anniversary of the P.E.I. Mutual Festival of Small Halls with the “Shakin’ the Shingles” opening concert on Sunday. The June 8 open house runs from 1 to 4 p.m. and is a free event. Residents and visitors are invited to come explore Historic St. Mary’s before the season officially gets underway. Following the 1:30 p.m. ceremony, the afternoon will feature music by Sarah Hagen, Christine Campbell and more. At 2:15 p.m., local food sampling will be offered in the adjacent pavilion featuring Samuels coffee, Upstreet Brewing, The Table, Island Stone Pub, Broadway45, Crystal Green Farms, O’Neil Home Gallery and Café and more. On Saturday, June 9, the festival hosts Yoga Flow in the Pavilion from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants are invited to bring a yoga mat for this session presented by All things Active PEI. See their facebook page for more details. On Saturday afternoon, the Indian River Festival presents the first in its Open Stage at Historic St. Mary’s series, which is also free to attend. From 1 to 4 p.m. the St Mary’s stage is open to anyone who has ever dreamt of performing on stage. Call the festival box office to sign up at 902-836-3733. This second annual Open Stage at Historic St. Mary’s series will also be offered on Saturday, July 28, and Saturday, Aug. 5, from 1 to 4 p.m. Also on June 9, Parks Canada will be at the venue from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. offering a green screen experience, which involves a special photo booth that transports you to a Parks Canada site in P.E.I. Participants receive an email picture of themselves at one of these iconic locations. This is open to all ages. On Sunday, June 10, St. Mary’s hosts the Small Halls opening concert at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.) featuring Irish Mythen, Wendy MacIsaac, Atlantic String Machine, the Confederation Children’s Chorus and Havenwood Studio Dancers. The event is hosted by storytellers, Gary Evens and Dennis King. Tickets for this Shakin’ the Shingles: The Opening concert are $30 each and available from www.smallhalls.ca or call the Indian River Festival Box office at 902-836-3733.