“If it was perfect, it would be a photograph.”
– Freda Wantuck, Candle Lake Art Club
Every May long weekend Candle Lake hosts an all day event to support local companies, many of which are artists.
If you were at Welcome to the Lake on Saturday, you would have heard Willy Marcotte singing to the strum of his guitar while you were munching on your burger.
About 60 paintings from the Art Club lined the stage in front of him.
Freda Wantuck, who’s been with the Candle Lake Art Club since 2006, said it’s important that the club comes to community events.
“It just shows the people the talent that we have at Candle Lake—for a little village like this,” she said.
They have over 20 artists who mostly live in Candle Lake.
Members meet to paint every Tuesday from September to May. Some days they bring in someone to teach a class.
Wantuck said the classes show how everyone embraces their own unique style.
“Everyone’s looks different even though we all took the same class,” she said.
She emphasized part of the reason art is so enjoyable is because it doesn’t have to be perfect: “If it was perfect, it would be a photograph.”
Marcotte said this is his form of community service.
“Instead of setting up chairs, I’m singing songs,” he said.
Marcotte, a multi-genre singer, does solo gigs in bars and lounges. He’s also a member of the Prince Albert Country Music Association.
“I love to sing, so I sing at any opportunity I can. Sometimes I get paid for it, sometimes I don’t.”
“I’m retired, and as such I can afford to be a starving artist now,” he said with a laugh.
Chelsea Pitre with the Chamber of Commerce, which organized the event, said this year had a record turnout with at least 300 or 400 people only half way into the day.
“All the people that own businesses here really work hard to provide exceptional service and provide a business in such a small community that goes from a small population in the winter to a booming population in the summer, so it’s important that we promote them and keep them thriving,” she said about why the event takes place every year.
Welcome to the Lake consisted of a pancake breakfast, a BBQ lunch, a flea market and a Cabaret at night featuring a Prince Albert band called Gridroad.
