Last Friday, the festivities at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM), which served as second round to some after St. Patrick’s Day, had everyone in good spirits. A robust crowd attended the EAGM’s craft beer tasting event to sample the beer and enjoy the music.
EAGM associate curator David Dyck said there were 62 guests present at the event, and that it sold out far earlier than he expected.
“Tickets were only available for a week. We were actually trying to think of ways to promote it, but we didn’t need to, because it spread by word of mouth,” said Dyck. “A lot of corporate groups bought tickets as gifts for their employees, so there was more demand than we ever expected.”
Dyck said he was very satisfied with the outcome of trying the new format, because it encouraged people to visit the gallery in a new way.
“It took people to every corner of the exhibitions and was useful in getting people into the space,” he said. “It’s definitely good to see people going through the process of tasting beers and finding the one they liked. That seemed to warm people up over the evening.”
Guests sampled an assortment of beer brought to the EAGM by Regina’s Rebellion Brewery. Later, they sat down to enjoy the idyllic country and bluegrass-inspired sounds of Jody Weger and Martin Finnie, who performed live for the rest of the evening.
“We don’t do too many shows these days, so it’s a pretty special night. The last time we performed was when we were up in Churchill,” said Weger, during an intermission. “We just kind of take the good ones now. We toured one time, but things are busier for us these days.”
Finnie said he and Weger enjoy performing in places with a strong agricultural and rural community, noting that coming to Estevan was not out of the ordinary for him, a resident of Brandon, Manitoba.
“I come from a family farm and Jody’s a farmer. The agricultural community is the heartbeat of the nation, so it makes for a great atmosphere,” said Finnie. “It’s the kind of vibe we try to connect with at home, too. When we put on a show at home, it’s at a community centre. We try to bring together all the little small farming town folks that are back home.”
