Sherbrooke

I pen this post in a small Acadien community hall on the south west coast of Prince Edward Island, awaiting la Famille Leblanc to begin performing. There is a pre-concert buzz in the community centre in both official languages.

A duo of spotlit guitars stand upright on the stage waiting to be strummed; a bodhran drum on the painted black stage nearby. The microphones are silent now, but in five minutes I expect will be switched on and the music will begin.

The CDs for the three musical acts — a country and western singer, the New Brunswick Acadien family, and an unbalanced PEI fiddler — lay on a side table along with signage for the ubiquitous 50/50 ticket draw.

This is our third musical performance in as many nights. Last night’s spectacle was in a very modern Summerside theatre hall. It was called Highland Storm which mirrored the day’s weather when the skies darkened and the winds rocked Charlottetown.

Pedestrians ran for shelter and failed umbrellas brought comic relief to two travellers warm and dry in their van. What’s that German word? Schadenfreude.

The weather this last week has been inconsistent but not the music. It has been consistently good, delivered with joy, panache and talent.

Gotta stop now. The music is about to begin.Read more