Back in the day when Canada was the “New Country”, European lumberjacks from many countries came to harvest our forests for timber for their home countries. These men didn’t always speak the same language but music is universal and after a hard days’ work the fiddles, guitars and anything else to make music would come out and a stomping, ruckus hoedown would happen. Thus began the Ottawa Valley style of fiddling and step dancing, a blend of Indigenous and multicultural European music. The music has continued to evolve as it is passed on from one generation to the next.
St George’s Anglican Church in Clayton has honoured this very Canadian music genre for many years by having a fiddle service yearly. On Sunday, June 1 the music will begin at 10 am with thirty minutes of old-time fiddle tunes performed by nine multi-generational fiddlers led by Kyle Felhaver and a guest pianist. The worship service will begin at 10:30 with several familiar and well-loved hymns led by the guest musicians. Lunch will follow. All are welcome.
The musicians donate their time and talents. In appreciation and to provide continued support for this special style of music, St George’s will make a donation to the Danny O’Connell Memorial Fund which provides a yearly bursary to a young Ottawa Valley fiddler.
