It has been a very busy couple weeks in Lethbridge for live entertainments. So this week is a good as time as any to step back and take a deep breath — almost.
Two big events are the source of most of this week’s entertainment.
The annual ATB Rotary Dragon Boat Festival are always a lot of fun. They run June 27-29.
In addition to the races there is an array of live entertainment.
The first night, Friday June 27, begins at 4:30 p.m. with local country musician Dusty Dee Litchfield. Urban Beat will provide a dance demonstration after that.
Paul Kype and Texas Flood will play some blues at 6:30 p.m.. Ammena Dance Company will follow that and country musician Shane Chisholm will close off the night at 8:30 p.m.
Things begin early at Henderson Lake with the Dragon Boat racers at 11 a.m.. with the Junkman's Quire, Alyssa McQuaid (who also plays the Mocha Cabana, June 27 and 28) plays after the rose ceremony followed by Hibikiya Southern Alberta Taiko Society, local rock band the Raw Dogs, Exisdance, blues rock band Driving While Blind, country folk musician Karen Romanchuk, Treeline and Shaela Miller, the Canadian Rocky Mountain Cloggers, Bridgette Yarwood and Suite 33 ending things with a pot of rock at 7 p.m.
The last day of Dragon Boats begins at 11 a.m, with Barb Marchuk followed by Calgary bluesman Eric Braun, Calum Granum, the Desert Wind Belly Dancers, local country musician Trevor Panczak and rock band Fast Times.
Canada Day falls mid week this year, on a Tuesday, but there is lots going on at Henderson Lake where there will be dancers, Tae Kwon Do, jigging from Roy Pogorzelski, fireworks, family fun and lots of local music.
The Lethbridge Community Silver and Gold bands will be performing at noon at Henderson Park.
Local performers include Steel Cut at 1:20 p.m.
The opening ceremonies will be at 3:30 p.m.. They will be followed by Young-Medicine, These Hip Hops, the Raw Dogs, Lethbridge Community Taiko Association, Form 9, Van Dance, local rock / country band the Mark Hall band, Filipino Dancers, rock band Who’s Yer Daddy, the Desert Wind Belly dancers and Three Jacks and A Jill who will play until the fireworks at 10 p.m.
There is also a lot of rock and roll this week. If you missed Cosmic Charley's CD release party last week at the Owl
Acoustic Lounge, they will be at the Slice, June 28 with the
Ruby Plumes and the Delawares. The Slice has a big metal show on June 27 with Our Last Crusade, Trancide, Sengage and the Avulsion.
And there is a big, loud pre-Canada Day party, June 30 at Scores featuring Saskatoon born, Vancouver based rockers One Bad Son who return to Lethbridge with gritty Kelowna rockers, The Wild, June
30. The show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $20.
There is also a great show at the Southminster United Church featuring renown roots rocker Steve Earle who will be playing with his band the Dukes.
Tickets cost $45-$80 plus service fees. The show begins at 8 p.m. The Geomatic Attic, who are putting the show on will be donating their share of the profits to Environment Lethbridge, a new and exciting sustainability initiative for our city.
There is a big country show at the Enmax Centre featuring Rascal Flatts and MacKenzie Porter, June 27. Tickets cost between $82-$112
If you like Johnny Cash, Big River David James — the Johnny Cash tribute returns to Average Joes, June 30 with local country band Hurtin'. Tickets cost $20 for the show, which begins at 9 p.m.
Local roots duo Pete Watson and Joel Bryant play the Owl Acoustic Lounge, June 27. The Owl also features blues band JJ Thomas with the Bloody Diamonds on June 28.
It is a good week for laughter too.
Lethbridge improv troupe the Drama Nutz have a couple of shows this week.
They will be at Club Didi, on Wednesday, June 25 to premiere their new “Archie” themed murder mystery at 7 p.m. Admission is $10. They are also on the road with members of improv troupes from Red Deer and Calgary. They complete the Southern Alberta Road Show tour in Lethbridge at Club Didi at 7 p.m. After that they will be hosting a comedy open mic at Jimmy’s Pub at about 9 p.m. The Owl Acoustic Lounge also has their monthly comedy open mic on Wednesday, June 25. as well. And Inferno's comedy open mic, June 19 was so popular that they have already scheduled another one for July 11.
