Next generation of Leahy family headlines fiddle, singing contest
Doug Leahy was just a boy when he first came to Belle River for a fiddle contest.
Organizer Jim Ghanam remembers the Lions Club and the Knights of Columbus didn’t have any money for acts the year it started.
He met the Leahy family — with 11 children — and struck a deal for the family to come play if the fiddle contest provided money for gas, found a place for the children to stay while in Belle River and provided all the meals.
That was 37 years ago when the Leahy family from Lakefield, Ont., was just getting started in the Canadian folk music scene, and they came back to the Belle River fiddle contests for years after that, Ghanam said.
Doug, who went on to become part of the award-winning group Leahy, is coming back to the Belle River area this weekend with six of his children to perform.
“For me, it’s a coming home reunion,” 83-year-old Ghanam said Thursday.
The Next Generation Leahy band along with Crystal Gage and Dave Mason are playing Friday and Saturday night at the Urban Field House, A Rustic Arts and Events Centre in Emeryville in the former St. William’s Church at 1203 Faith Dr.
Sarah Ilijanich, owner of the LAFA (Lakeshore Academy of Fine Arts) bought the Catholic church in January to create a venue in Lakeshore for theatre and musical performances and weddings.
It can hold about 480 people but will usually be set up cabaret style with tables and chairs for about 250 people.
“I truly believe in Lakeshore. It’s such a young community and I believe we can find a niche in the arts,” she said.
She said the building has great acoustics. It won’t look like a church inside.
The pews are being sold and the stain glass windows will be removed by the Catholic church. The creative hub will have a more rustic, urban look, she said.
“I really like the idea of a posh, barn kind of vibe.”
The property includes a house that has been renovated into a commercial building with a number of businesses, including a music studio, yoga, an acting studio, a talent agency and a cafe.
The Next Generation Leahy Old Time Fiddle and Singing Contest Reunion has performances beginning at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Urban Field House in Emeryville.
Tickets are $25 at the door and there is limited seating. Tickets are also available at the Atlas Tube Arena and the Community Support Centre in Belle River.