Lots of entertainment for Dragon Boat Festival
Boats, races, music, food. . . What more could you ask? That’s the appeal of Lethbridge’s annual Dragon Boat Festival, which draws competitors here from across Alberta and beyond. It also attracts thousands of local residents and friends of the competitors.
Its hard-working volunteers, members of our local Rotary clubs, have arranged a full lineup of stage entertainment near the race finish line. There’s no charge to enjoy the music or to find a spot for your lawn chair or to find a place to sit in the beer garden.
Here’s the entertainment lineup for today: Dory and theWeathermen kick off things at 11 a.m., followed at noon by the traditional rose ceremony at the lakeside.
Singer-songwriter Eric Braun is next at 12:30 p.m., then the Japanese taiko group Hibikiya at 1:30, Sketch Williams at 2 and Nicole Donaghy Hughes at 3.
Afternoon entertainment continues with Uncovered at 3:30, Exisdance 4:30, Adequate at 5, and the Canadian RockyMountain Cloggers at 6.
The evening schedule has Suite 33 at 6:30 p.m., the DesertWind Belly Dancers at 7:30, then Cody Hall and 13 to Go at 8 p.m.
Races begin both days at 8 a.m., with Sunday’s music starting at 11 a.m. with an E Free Church band, then Karen Romanchuk at noon followed by selections from the Chinook High School Rock and Pop Program at 12:30.
The afternoon card has AlyssaMcQuaid and Coyote Junction at 1:30 p.m., a performance by the Lethbridge Hung Sing Koon Kung Fu Academy at 2:30, thenMahoney at 3. Closing ceremonies including award presentations are set for 4.
••• The concerts are still a few weeks away, but tickets are being ordered for this year’s CentricMusic Festival here July 6 to 9.
Five concerts are planned, in three midsized locations: Casa, the library’s Theatre Gallery, and at La Cite des Prairies on 6 Avenue South.
This year’s performers are Christine Bootland, Dale Ketcheson, Allison Kilgannon, Ryan Kolodzeij, John-Paul Ksiazek, IlianaMatos, Airdrie Robinson, Camille Rogers and AndrewWan.
For program details and online tickets, look under “Lethbridge” on the Eventbrite.ca website.
••• For all who enjoy an entertaining look at history, there’s a choice of two approaches on Thursday.
Down in Fort Whoop-Up, Lethbridge drama director and performer Andrew Legg will be spinning “Trader Tales,” a free, family-friendly presentation at 7:30 p.m. He’ll repeat the show July 5 and 26, then Aug. 2, 9 and 23.
Up top in the GaltMuseum, local events in the late 1960s and early ’70s will be screened as “Life on Film Reels,” archival film reels from the days of CJOC Television. Highlights include the 1967 Whoop-Up Days, an Indian Days event— and the blaze that destroyed the city’s old arena. Start time will be 7 p.m.
••• Speaking of years-ago entertainment, how about Shakespeare?
Our local Shakespeare in the Park troupe will debut this summer’s selection, “The Tempest.” It’s scheduled for 13 performances in GaltGardens — free, of course — on most Thursdays and Fridays until Aug. 10. Watch for more details in The Herald!
••• For all who enjoy international cuisine— but aren’t globe-trotting just now— there’s often a variety offered by Lethbridge cultural groups. OnMonday, there’s a traditional German dinner on offer at the German Canadian Club, from 5 to 8 p.m.
••• Here’s a first-time event to enjoy. On June 30, there will be a Knights Around the Lake Car Show in Henderson Park, near the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden.
Showtime runs from 4 to 9 p.m., with admission free— but donations requested in support of the Interfaith Food Bank. Balloon art, face painting, food and entertainment are
also lined up.
••• Nearby, also on June 30, it’s this year’s Lethbridge Handmade JuneMarket at Exhibition Park. About 115 artisans will offer their work, with “make-and-take” workshops also planned. Doors will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at theWest Pavilion.
••• For our last-minute suggestions:
Noon today is starting time for this year’s Pride Parade, running north on Stafford Drive from city hall, then west on 3 Avenue South to Galt Gardens. Pride in the Park will start as the parade arrives, with a full lineup of performers — on two stages this year— along with food trucks, children’s features, booths for crafters and organizations, and a beer garden. It’s the 10th year for Lethbridge PrideFest, with everyone welcome to drop by.
And Canada Day falls on a Sunday this year. We’ll look at some of the celebration’s highlights next week.