Another beautiful Sunday afternoon – another great day for a gathering at the site of Saskatchewan’s cherry capital. Bruno hosted another successful Cherry Sunday Festival on August 11 with all of its cherry themed food and drink, a colourful and diverse vendors market, and a day of musical and performance celebrations.
Over the years, Cherry Sunday has made Bruno a weekend destination for folks from across the province and even beyond the borders. It’s all thanks to a dedicated band of volunteers and organizations that have exported word of the event in a very grassroots way, says organizer Jodi Tremel.
“We do a little advertising through Facebook and radio, but honestly, this is a word-of-mouth event that people have heard about all across Saskatchewan. Even Manitoba and Alberta people love to come here.”
As always, part of the attraction is the talent that descends on the huge tent. In the roster this year was Saltwater Joy, a band of prairie based Celtic music lovers with strong ties to Nova Scotia. Donna Lepitzki and her husband Ray are anchors of the group which maintains a chapter in the Bluenose province. The musical duo are retirees who became attached to the traditional tunes of the Maritimes, and they sought to preserve the traditions and bring some of the wonder back to the prairies.
“When we first went there, there was so much going on in music,” Donna explained, “So many local jams – no matter where you travel, there’s music. If you’ve got your instruments with you, then you can always play with different ones.”
The Lepitzkis made a return trip east for more musical adventures, eventually purchasing a home where they split their time between eastern climes and Cudworth. Donna says the band is not in it for the money – more for the pure love of the music and performing. That’s why Saltwater Joy spends much of its time performing for seniors in care homes and gathering centres, as well as festivals like Bruno’s Cherry Sunday.
Along with a healthy dose of east coast musical tradition, the band performs classics and standards popularized by CBC’s long running musical variety show Singalong Jubilee from yesteryear. Donna says it's remarkable to see the effect of the music on elders as the tunes trigger memories and instill a palpable sense of joy.
“We always have a lot of folks singing and dancing with us. It’s been great.”
As for the cherries, Jodi Tremel says that the crop came on fast with the heat, and the small prairie cherries have an unmistakable tartness to them. Nevertheless, they were perfect in the ever-popular cherry smokies and the delicious sundaes provided by students from Bruno School.
Saltwater Joy will appear at this weekend’s Vintage Days in Humboldt. Find out more on the Saltwater Joy Facebook page.