Regions
 Country Concert comes to Forest Amphitheatre
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April 25, 2007
There’s going to be a change of pace at the Forest Amphitheatre this summer. After years of hosting the religious pageant The Promise and other theatrical events, Forest Community Theatre is organizing Music In The Valley – a festival of country entertainment.
Long-time Canadian favourite Michelle Wright and up-and-coming country group Doc Walker are being featured, along with the popular local band, Second Wind. The event is being staged on the island in the natural amphitheatre just south of Forest on highway 21 (Forest Road) on Saturday, August 4, during the Civic Holiday weekend.
Doc Walker is made up of five Manitoba boys, whose first album in 2003 won them the group of the year award at the 2004 Canadian Country Music Awards, and a host of nominations and awards have followed. Described as a cross between Barenaked Ladies and the Eagles, Doc Walker has also been compared to Keith Urban or Dierks Bentley by doing country with a rock influence.
Forest Community Theatre, with assistance from other area groups have been meeting for several months, planning the event. “We’re really excited about doing something new in this wonderful venue,” says organizer Syd Fletcher, chair of Forest Community Theatre. The amphitheatre provides hillside seating for very large crowds, and Fletcher expects to have 5,000 in attendance for the concert. “Bring your own lawn chairs,” Fletcher adds.
Working with Forest Community Theatre are the Forest Business Improvement Area (BIA) and the Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation (SLBDC). “Major attractions and festivals can have economic benefits for the entire Lambton Shores area,” says Mary Alderson, Community Economic Development Officer with the SLBDC. Similarly, Forest BIA president Glen VanValkenburg sees the event as a boon to the community: “A large concert like this has the potential to attract tourists and shoppers to our retail stores and restaurants. We want to support this event and see it become a successful annual festival.”
Service clubs will be providing food booths, including the Forest Optimist Club’s chip wagon selling fresh cut fries. Lambton Shores Minor Hockey Association will operate the beer tent at the concert as a fundraiser for their organization.
In conjunction with Music In The Valley, there will be a Square Dance Festival at the Forest Fairgrounds beginning on Friday evening August 3rd, with two of Ontario’s top callers, Les Greenwood and Lorne Lockery. The square dancing will continue at the fairgrounds Saturday morning, with a special demonstration dance in downtown Forest in the afternoon.
The gates at the Music In The Valley concert will open at 4:00 p.m. on August 4th, with the concert starting at 5:00, rain or shine. In addition, there will be camping available at the Fairgrounds.
Concert tickets are $40 each, and a camping package including a campsite, two concert tickets, two passes to the square dance festival and complimentary food coupons are available for $120. For more information, check out the website at www.musicinthevalley.ca
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Syd Fletcher
Chair
Forest Community Theatre
(519) 519-786-5013 Evenings
or
Mary Alderson Community Economic Development Officer Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Corporation Tel: 519-383-1371 / 1-800-263-7047 |
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