Best buskers battle it out
SEDGEFIELD - The Slow Town tradition of the Battle of the Buskers returned for its second edition this year, with the Lions Club Sedgefield hosting the competition recently on Heritage Day.
It was held for the first time in 2021, and this year made a welcome return to Sedgefield when it was held on the Village Green with four keen and incredibly talented participants. Francois Deysel was crowned the winner of the Lions Pick n Pay Battle of the Buskers. After young songstress Arancha Fortuin opened with a duet alongside eventual winner Francois and a couple of solos, the competition was on, and four entertainers, André, Francois, Charl and Linda Ann, battled it out for the 2022 Busker Floating Trophy.
As each took to the stage to perform, it wasn't long before the audience were clapping their hands, stomping their feet, singing along and, as the afternoon wore on, dancing. In the end, the crooning tones of Francois won the hearts of the crowd and the judges, after a final "sing-off" against Rod Stewart look-alike André.
"We could not have wished for better weather and were not only grateful for the blessings from the weather gods but also hugely grateful to so many who made this fundraiser of ours such a success!" said event organiser Debbie Olivier.
Olivier thanked several people and organisations that helped make the day possible. "Firstly, our thanks must go to Pick n Pay Sedgefield for their continued sponsorship of this event. It could not have been such a success without your support and sponsorship," she said. "To our musicians - André, Francois, Charl and Linda Ann - thank you for rocking this event! Thank you, #ALiveLifeEntertainment for your coercion skills in booking these fab four for us, and thank you, Bomber Webb, for again being our great MC."
Olivier also thanked Masithandane, Smuts Primary and Sedgefield Primary for the loan of chairs, Café Vienna for continued support in ticket sales and the use of their generator, and of course the Lions members and Friends of the Lions who gave of their time and energy. "And thanks must go to Sotheby's, who lent us the jumping castle for the kids' playground, and of course our wonderful Sedgefield Scouts, who kept the children entertained with some good, clean fun," Olivier added. "Lastly, but definitely by no means least, thank you to all those who came out to support this event. Sedgefield did us proud! What a fun bunch you were, and generous too."
Funds raised on the day were donated to Sedgefield Scouts, COP and Sedgefield Animal Matters. "We look forward to seeing everyone back at the 2023 battle of the Buskers," said Olivier.