Mayor's Celebration of the Arts Gala
Oct
6
Written by:
10/6/2011 7:12 AM
On Friday night I attended the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts Gala. I went last year for the first time and had a fabulous time so was looking forward to this year’s celebration. St. Albert Place is a delightful venue for a reception, both my husband and I enjoyed a glass of wine and some nibbles. I thought the croissant sandwiches were delicious and my husband literally chased the server across the floor in order to indulge in another meatball. However, the food and wine were secondary; the intent of the night was to celebrate the arts and it was a great celebration.
My favourite entertainers of the evening were Anna Marie Sewell and Jeff Stuart and the Hearts. Anna Marie is the Edmonton’s Poet Laureate for 2011-13, her combination of singing/poetry touched me, as did her bare feet that helped to tell the story. Jeff Stuart and the Hearts were upbeat; fun to watch and easy to listen to.
Mayor Nolan Crouse also added interest to the night by delivering his welcome in the form of a limerick…a nice touch and very entertaining.
However, the reason we all gathered together for the night was to celebrate the people in St. Albert that work so hard to make the arts part of our lives. I was thrilled when Pat Wagensveld won the Mayor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. As well as being an amazing artist, Pat works tirelessly to improve and grow the entire arts community. Well deserved Pat. For a complete list of winners visit www.startsfest.ca and for the purpose of forward planning make sure you save the last Friday in September for the fourth annual arts gala.