The setting at the Killarney Ag Grounds last Saturday night couldn't have been more perfect for the 4th Annual Kick-Off to Summer Celebration outdoor concert.
The gates opened at 4 pm where over 2500 people flooded the grounds to watch top performers in action.
"Stephen Lee Olsen came out about 7:30 and then Jade Eagleson kicked it off around 9:30," shares Killarney Community Events Committee co-chair, Ryan Heinrichs. "As far as the bands go, unbelievable! Couldn't have gotten a better performance out of any of them. That was fantastic!" Fireworks completed the evening, which was truly dynamic over the waters of Killarney Lake.
But at the end of the day, it's enjoying an outdoor concert on a beautiful summer night with a community of well over 2000 people that makes the event memorable!
The opening act was by Winnipeg band Dreams and Rumors, performing two sets: the first with older rock and some country tunes, the second as a tribute to Fleetwood Mac. Then Olson and his band took to the stage to get the audience primed for Jade Eagleson, the signature act. True to the energy of the evening, the crowd didn't miss a beat!
"Stephen Lee Olson, he's high energy, really gets the crowd pumped up. And he did a very, very good job of that," says Heinrichs. "And then Jade Eagleson! It's so great the talent we have throughout Canada here. And you know these guys are just great down-to-earth people. We got a chance to spend some time with them in the green room and hear their life stories - and they're interested in your life stories. It's just a fantastic opportunity," he adds.
When the vision to have an outdoor concert featuring award winning bands from across Canada was first shared around the table of a handful of community leaders, the thought was to have groups that were up and coming. The cost is always a factor, but the intention was to bring a first-class show to rural Manitoba, a show that would rival any indoor venue in Brandon or Winnipeg.
"Like the success we had with the Hunter Brothers, they were coming along, and they had some good popularity, but they really exploded right around the same time as we had them here in Killarney. It really, really helped them and that's part of the idea. With the Reklaws, same kind of thing. Brett Kissel, same kind of thing," explains Heinrichs.
With Jade Eagleson doing a big U.S. and Canada tour, having an award winner of his caliber perform in Killarney was amazing, he adds.
"It brings a little bit of different sound and, you know, different styles of country too. Jade plays more I guess a traditional style of country, you know, your Alan Jackson style, some Don Williams but with a new spin on it. He's quite a performer. That band is really, really talented - just off the charts!"
"Incredible support from volunteers and our sponsors are key to making an event this size a success," he adds.
To pull off a show of this size takes hours of planning, organizing, setting up, manning booths and then the tear down after the concert. The organizing committee relies on community organizations to volunteer their time to set up, help out during the show and then help with the clean, for the gifting of a donation from the KCEC to each of these groups.
They have eight groups that have been a part of this plan right from the beginning making it a win-win-win for everyone. In addition to the volunteer groups, the sponsors are key to the success of the show as well. The Kinsmen Club of Killarney and the Killarney Ag Society are their two major sponsors. Heinrichs says each of the sponsors are valuable to bringing the show to life.
"You know, it's fun to walk through the crowd and see those sponsors having a great time, whether it's with their staff or their customers or even just themselves, it's really good to see!"
A concert this size draws tourism to the entire area, says Heinrichs.
This spring the KCEC received the Event of the Year with a budget over $10K for their Kick-Off to Summer outdoor concerts at the Tribute to Tourism Award Gala, hosted by Tourism Westman.
Being nominated anonymously, and then actually winning the award is truly humbling, says Heinrichs. He adds the award truly goes to the entire community, not just the organizing committee. He adds an event this size brings folks in from every corner of the province and beyond those borders which has turned into a great marketing tool for not just Killarney but for the whole area.
"I'm a true believer in shop local, support local, even spend time locally because there are so many gems in these smaller towns that we don't always recognize," he says.
"We see it every day but for those who don't it's something really special. So, if we can draw that crowd and show people what southern Manitoba is, particularly Killarney, Boissevain, Cartwright, Ninette, you know those areas. There's so much to see down here. We've got beautiful lakes, unbelievable campgrounds, the fishing is fantastic right now, I'm told, and then we've also got the Turtle Mountains to do some exploring, and also a variety of museums. There are all kinds of things to look at and explore."
"So, it's that's great and to have someone anonymously nominate us and recognize us for that is real, real special," he adds. "It's a special feeling for our group. You know, it is a lot of hard work. We're all volunteer based, and when you get some recognition like that, it's really nice."
"For us, for the KCEC, the biggest thing I can say is 'Thank you!'"
"Thank you to the people I work with on the committee, they work tirelessly, and you know it's a big job putting all the pieces together and then on the day we've got a massive stage to set up. We transform that ground from basically a bare piece of grass to a massive concert and then the tear down. And then there's a lot of people that just turn up and say, hey, what can I do to help? They don't want any recognition. They don't want anything for it. It's just good, honest, community-minded volunteers that help. And then you tie into our user groups, you tie into our sponsorships. It's amazing."
"It's the 4th year and I still remember sitting together with Liana Smith there at the Shamrock Center and kind of talking about this idea and how are we going to make this work? And here we are today," shares Heinrichs. "Four years of great success with it. It's been a win, win, win all the way around for everybody and we hope we can continue to see that support and continue to see the volunteers, the user groups and also our sponsors continue on with us. So yeah, it's been great!"
(Photo credit KCEC Facebook Page)
