The holiday of Canada Day is a reason to celebrate the country and its citizens, and Rama residents certainly focused on the latter during their events on July 1, the theme of which was “Celebrating Canadian Talent.”
The festivities were focused on entertainment, which was organized by the Rama Golden Jet Club and occurred at the St. Anthony Parish Hall. The location was full to capacity, and the audience members included not only Rama citizens, but tourists from Regina, Estevan, and Saskatoon, Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton in Alta., Oakville, Ont., and St. Louis, Missouri.
Aaron and Samuel Halifax provided pre-show entertainment by mingling with the crowd and demonstrating their balloon artistry. Audience members requested animals such as butterflies and turtles, and the artists tied balloons together to recreate the animal.
After a welcome from Mary Kowalyshyn and Louise Halifax in both English and French, mayor Darryl Duchak spoke. He focused on the merits of Canada, as well as how Rama represents so many people of different talents.
“I’m proud to be the mayor of Rama,” he said during his speech.
Leonard Pasloski, a member of the club, let the guests in a prayer before a banquet. The meal included a Canada Day cake cut by Christine and Ray Dyky.
The first entertainer was a 20-year-old singer known as Avery Fairbrother. The singer, who has produced over 100 CDs and participated in shows across North America since he was 12 years old, performed a set before introducing his father, Matthew Fairbrother.
Matthew Fairbrother is an Elvis impersonator who performed as ‘The Cadillac Kid’ during the event. He has been performing as Elvis for almost 30 years and for over 3,000 different shows. The audience requested songs for him to sing, and he performed skits between musical numbers. A special Elvis song was also dedicated to Isabel Nazar for her birthday.
The evening included a silent auction, and concluded with a fireworks display sponsored by the Village of Rama.
Kowalyshyn and Louise Halifax thank the Village of Rama, Heritage Canada, the Rama Golden Jet Club members, and the guests who helped make the event a success.
