Donalda will welcome Juno Award-winning singer Gary Fjellgaard on Sunday, Sept. 29, to raise funds for Donalda Museum.
It all happens at Donalda Community Hall. The evening starts with dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by the concert at 7 o’clock with Fjellgaard and his longtime touring friends Saskia and Darrel under the new name of the Great Plains.
“The museum works off of fundraising and donations to help keep it operating and this is our major fundraiser,” said Marlene Conibear, treasurer of the Donalda and District Museum Society.
With reduced funding to hire students for the summer and with limited volunteers, the society requires more funding to support the museum, she said.
“Gary Fjellgaard is well-known and draws a lot of people from outside the area.”
The popular performers welcome the return to Donalda.
“We were in Donalda and Stettler over a period of four years,” Saskia said.
“We did a benefit for the museum in Donalda which was very successful plus a fundraiser for P&H elevator in Stettler.
“For us the best part of this event is to bring a wonderful evening, pull a community together by a fundraiser and leave some funds behind — it is a win-win situation.
“We especially love saving historic buildings and preserving our heritage, as we have quite a few songs around the history of Canada, as well.”
With fall on the horizon and a new touring season, the concert will feature Norwegian, Dutch and Metis combo, with songs about hard-working farmers, windswept lands and the romance and simplicity of rural living.
“It will be a heart-warming evening of music merriment and mayhem as they enlighten with tales of cowboys, war brides, prairie towns and Louis Riel,” said a news release from organizers.
Advance tickets for dinner and show are $35 per person and $20 per person for the show only and available at Donalda Museum until Sept. 25.
For more information, phone the museum at 403-883-2100 or email info@donaldamuseum.com.