A group of local woman is hoping to bring back a part of the Christmas season that has somewhat disappeared over the years.
"It seems that Christmas concerts are becoming - other than at the schools - a thing of the past," explained Kisbey resident Linda Pow. "We thought this would be something just a little bit different for us to do. We don't have the old time Christmas concerts like we used to have and we just thought to do that this year - to try it and see how it works."
Pow is one of five women in Kindred Spirits, a group of talented local singers who have been performing together for the past 10 years. The women - Wendy Gordon, Linda Pow, Brenda Bridgen, Lana Wyatt and Gayle Wyatt - decided they wanted to hold a Christmas-style concert in Kisbey on Nov. 14 as a way to raise money for the United Church while welcoming the upcoming Christmas season.
The idea for this concert came from a fundraiser auction held by the United Church each spring.
"We would usually auction off ourselves, where we would do an afternoon of performance at Gayle Wyatt's home, and we would [also] give them a dinner," said Pow. "So we would have up to 20 people."
"We thought this year we would so something different," said Pow.
Though the Kindred Spirits have been officially performing for the past 10 years, Pow said they have been singing together for many more years.
"It's maybe 10 years as a group, but we've always sung together in a choir at church, and I had a children's group out of the United Church too," Pow explained.
The group grew out of a mutual love for music and a desire beyond the church walls.
"It was desire we all had," said Pow. "We [were] singing as a group [in] the choir in the church, and I started teaching Lana [Wyatt] voice lessons. There were some songs that I was teaching Lana that needed some background to sing with her and it just evolved. And of course I've been singing all my life too."
Over the past 10 years, the Kindred Spirits have shared their music with many people at many different functions.
"We sing at church; we sing at the senior's Christmas party; we have sung at the Crossroads Choir in Stoughton; last year we did the Creative Tables for Darlene Olsen; and we have sung at the rodeos when they had them in Arcola," said Pow. "We've sung at showers, graduation, you name and we just about have done it."
Kindred Spirits will be joined by guest performances by Melissa Spelchen of Minot, N.D, Tory-Dawn and Claude Poirier of Manor, and Alina Craig of Willmar.
"The other guest artists are coming out of the goodness of their hearts," said Pow. "There will be a variety of us singing and I think it will just be a nice afternoon of entertainment. It's easy-listening music, something to kick-off the Christmas season. It will be just a real enjoyable afternoon and a wonderful lunch. We hope people will come out and appreciate it. And of course we're taking donations for the Kisbey United Church."
The concert starts at 2 p.m. at Kisbey United Church on Nov. 14. After the performance, guests are invited over to the Kisbey Rec. Centre for a lunch put on by the Kindred Spirits. There is no cost for the performance, but donations are welcomed and encouraged. All money collected will go to the Kisbey United Church.
